Crop Report
Rabi acreage rises 2.65% YoY to 63.41 mln ha; wheat area tad up
This story was originally published at 20:09 IST on 5 January 2026
Register to read our real-time news.Informist, Monday, Jan. 5, 2026
Please click here to read all liners published on this story
--India rabi acreage 63.41 mln ha so far vs 61.77 mln ha year ago
--India rabi wheat acreage 33.41 mln ha so far vs 32.80 mln ha year ago
--India rabi pulses acreage 13.43 mln ha so far vs 13.09 mln ha year ago
--India rabi oilseeds acreage 9.63 mln ha so far vs 9.33 mln ha year ago
--India rabi coarse cereals acreage 5.18 mln ha so far vs 5.07 mln yr ago
--India rabi paddy acreage 1.76 mln ha so far vs 1.49 mln ha year ago
--India rabi chana acreage 9.59 mln ha so far vs 9.12 mln ha year ago
--India rabi masur acreage 1.71 mln ha so far vs 1.69 mln ha year ago
--India rabi urad acreage 398,000 ha so far vs 427,000 ha year ago
--India rabi moong acreage 60,000 ha so far vs 59,000 ha year ago
--India rabi jowar acreage 2.07 mln ha so far vs 2.2 mln ha year ago
--India rabi mustard acreage 8.94 mln ha so far vs 8.66 mln ha year ago
--India rabi groundnut acreage 313,000 ha so far vs 337,000 ha year ago
--India rabi maize acreage 2.33 mln ha so far vs 2.19 mln ha year ago
--India rabi barley acreage 678,000 ha so far vs 608,000 ha year ago
NEW DELHI – The area sown under rabi crops across India was 63.41 million hectares as of Friday, up 2.65% from 61.77 million hectares a year ago, according to a release from the agriculture ministry Monday. The acreage under wheat was up 1.86%, the biggest rabi crop, stood at 33.41 million hectares, up from 32.80 million hectares in the corresponding period a year ago. Wheat is grown only in the rabi season in India.
The acreage under paddy was 1.76 million hectares as of Friday, an increase of 18% from 1.49 million hectares last year. The area under coarse cereals, promoted as "Shri Anna" by the government, stood at 5.18 million hectares, nearly unchanged from 5.07 million hectares a year ago.
Within coarse cereals, acreage under jowar, or sorghum, was down almost 6% at 2.07 million hectares, while maize acreage was up 6.6% at 2.33 million hectares as of Friday. Acreage under ragi, a millet, rose nearly 37% on year to 70,000 hectares.
The total area sown under pulses in the rabi season of crop year 2025–26 (Jul-Jun) as of Friday was 13.43 million hectares, up 2.6% from 13.09 million hectares a year ago. Among key pulses, chana acreage rose over 5% to 9.59 million hectares from 9.12 million hectares a year ago and area sown under masur was up over 1% at 1.71 million hectares as of Friday. Acreage under urad fell to 398,000 hectares from 427,000 hectares a year ago and that under moong rose to 60,000 hectares from 59,000 hectares a year ago.
The total area under oilseeds was 9.63 million hectares as of Friday, up over 3% from 9.33 million hectares a year ago. Groundnut acreage fell 7% on year to 313,000 hectares, while acreage under mustard, the largest winter oilseed, rose over 3% to 8.94 million hectares from 8.66 million hectares a year ago. Sunflower acreage was unchanged at 47,000 hectares, according to the report.
The following table details the sowing of key rabi crops, in hectares, compared with year-ago levels, and the year-on-year change in percentage terms as of Friday:
| Crop | 2025–26 | 2024–25 | Change (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wheat | 33,417,000 | 32,804,000 | 1.86 |
| Rice | 1,757,000 | 1,490,000 | 17.91 |
| Pulses (Total) | 13,430,000 | 13,087,000 | 2.62 |
| Chana | 9,588,000 | 9,122,000 | 5.10 |
| Masur | 1,706,000 | 1,685,000 | 1.24 |
| Urad | 398,000 | 427,000 | (-)6.79 |
| Moong | 60,000 | 59,000 | 1.69 |
| Shri Anna & Coarse Cereals (Total) | 5,179,000 | 5,066,000 | 2.23 |
| Jowar | 2,074,000 | 2,200,000 | (-)5.72 |
| Ragi | 70,000 | 51,000 | 37.25 |
| Maize | 2,332,000 | 2,187,000 | 6.63 |
| Barley | 678,000 | 608,000 | 11.51 |
| Oilseeds (Total) | 9,630,000 | 9,327,000 | 3.24 |
| Rapeseed & Mustard | 8,936,000 | 8,657,000 | 3.22 |
| Groundnut | 313,000 | 337,000 | (-)7.12 |
| Sunflower | 47,000 | 47,000 | 0 |
| Other Oilseeds | 38,000 | 31,000 | 22.58 |
| Total Crops | 63,414,000 | 61,774,000 | 2.65 |
* Totals may not tally as some minor crops have been omitted.
End
Reported by Pallavi Singhal and Afra Abubacker
Edited by Akul Nishant Akhoury
For users of real-time market data terminals, Informist news is available exclusively on the NSE Cogencis WorkStation.
Cogencis news is now Informist news. This follows the acquisition of Cogencis Information Services Ltd. by NSE Data & Analytics Ltd., a 100% subsidiary of the National Stock Exchange of India Ltd. As a part of the transaction, the news department of Cogencis has been sold to Informist Media Pvt. Ltd.
Informist Media Tel +91 (22) 6985-4000
Send comments to feedback@informistmedia.com
© Informist Media Pvt. Ltd. 2026. All rights reserved.
To read more please subscribe
Share this Story:
