Crop Report
India kharif sowing so far down 4% on yr; oilseeds catch up
This story was originally published at 22:02 IST on 31 July 2026
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--India kharif acreage 105.2 mln ha so far vs 109.1 mln ha year ago
--India kharif paddy acreage 30.1 mln ha so far vs 30.8 mln ha year ago
--India kharif pulses acreage 9.5 mln ha so far vs 10.2 mln ha year ago
--India kharif urad acreage 2.1 mln ha so far vs 1.9 mln ha year ago
--India kharif oilseeds acreage 17.2 mln ha so far vs 17.1 mln ha year ago
--India kharif moong acreage 2.9 mln ha so far vs 3.2 mln ha year ago
--India kharif soybean acreage 11.8 mln ha so far vs 11.9 mln ha year ago
--India kharif groundnut acreage 4.3 mln ha so far vs 4.2 mln ha year ago
--India kharif coarse cereals acreage 15.8 mln ha so far vs 17.1 mln ha
--India kharif maize acreage 8.4 mln ha so far vs 9.0 mln ha year ago
--India kharif jowar acreage 1.2 mln ha so far vs 1.3 mln ha year ago
--India kharif bajra acreage 5.7 mln ha so far vs 6.2 mln ha year ago
--India kharif sugarcane acreage 5.8 mln ha so far vs 5.7 mln ha yr ago
--India kharif cotton acreage 10.4 mln ha so far vs 10.6 mln ha year ago
MUMBAI – Farmers across the country had sown kharif crops across 105.2 million hectares as of Friday, down nearly 4% from a year earlier, according to data from the agriculture ministry. Sowing of several major crops remained sluggish, although the year-on-year shortfall narrowed marginally from 5% a week earlier.
Sowing activities of most crops have been affected by the delayed onset of the monsoon and deficient rainfall across much of the country. Although rainfall improved in July, it was not enough to compensate for the deficit in June. During Jun-Jul, the first half of the southwest monsoon, the cumulative rainfall over the country was 13?low normal at 389.8 millimetres, according to the India Meteorological Department data.
IMD has forecast that India is likely to receive below-normal rainfall in the coming two months, as El Nio conditions are expected to persist through August and September, raising concerns about the growth and yields of recently sown kharif crops.
So far, the area under paddy, the largest kharif crop, was down over 2% on year at 30.1 million hectares, while maize acreage declined over 7% on year to 8.4 million hectares.
However, the area sown under oilseeds has caught up with year-ago levels and registered a marginal rise of nearly 1% to 17.2 million hectares. Despite soybean acreage falling nearly 1% on year, increased sowing of other oilseeds such as groundnut, sesamum, and sunflower has offset the reduction in major kharif oilseed cultivation. The commercial non-edible oilseed, castorseed area was also down nearly 37% on year at 113,000 hectares.
Total pulses acreage marginally improved to 9.52 million hectares but still remained below year-ago levels of 10.16 million hectares. Urad acreage rose over 10% on year to 2.1 million hectares, while tur and moong were both over 9% down on year.
Among cash crops, sugarcane and jute continued to be marginally up from the year-ago acreage and cotton remained over 2?low year-ago acreage levels. The area under sugarcane as of Friday was up 1.5% on year to 5.76 million hectares, jute was up 1.9% at 633,000 hectares, and cotton was down 2.4% to 10.4 million hectares, the data showed.
The following table details the sowing of key kharif crops as of Friday, in million hectares, compared with year-ago levels and the year-on-year change in percentage terms:
| Crop | Acreage 2026 (mln ha) | Acreage 2025 (mln ha) | Change (%) |
| Paddy | 30.15 | 30.84 | -2.2 |
| Tur | 3.49 | 3.84 | -9.1 |
| Urad | 2.11 | 1.90 | 10.6 |
| Moong | 2.92 | 3.22 | -9.3 |
| Total Pulses* | 9.52 | 10.16 | -6.4 |
| Maize | 8.36 | 9.01 | -7.2 |
| Bajra | 5.74 | 6.16 | -6.8 |
| Jowar | 1.22 | 1.26 | -3.1 |
| Total Coarse Cereals* | 15.8 | 17.1 | -7.6 |
| Groundnut | 4.31 | 4.19 | 2.8 |
| Soybean | 11.77 | 11.85 | -0.7 |
| Total Oilseeds* | 17.23 | 17.11 | 0.7 |
| Sugarcane | 5.76 | 5.67 | 1.5 |
| Jute & Mesta | 0.63 | 0.62 | 1.9 |
| Cotton | 10.35 | 10.6 | -2.3 |
| Grand Total* | 105.2 | 109.13 | -3.6 |
* The total figures will not tally due to the omission of some smaller crops
End
Reported by Afra Abubacker and Upasika Singhal
Edited by Saji George Titus
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