Ambitious Production Targets Set for Upcoming Rabi Season Crops

New Delhi. With the conclusion of the Kharif sowing campaign, the government has now shifted its focus to the upcoming Rabi season. Cultivation of Rabi crops is set to begin next month. This season primarily sees the cultivation of wheat, barley, gram (chickpea), lentil, pea, mustard, and linseed. Additionally, crops that are cultivated across all three seasons—including Kharif and Rabi—are also grown; these include paddy, sorghum (jowar), maize, groundnut, sunflower, and sesame.

The Union Ministry of Agriculture has set a total foodgrain production target of 1,777.20 lakh tonnes for the 2026-27 Rabi season. This includes targets of 1,210 lakh tonnes for wheat, 172 lakh tonnes for pulses, and 223 lakh tonnes for coarse/nutri-cereals. Within the pulses category, production targets have been fixed at 123.30 lakh tonnes for gram and 21 lakh tonnes for lentil. Furthermore, production targets of 143 lakh tonnes for mustard and 24.20 lakh tonnes for barley have been established.

Industry and trade analysts observe that, with the exception of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, other major Rabi-producing states have received deficient rainfall this year; meanwhile, the intensity and strength of the El Niño weather cycle are expected to increase in the coming months. Given these conditions, there remains uncertainty regarding the achievement of the ambitious production targets set by the government for Rabi crops.

The government has also set production targets of 167.20 lakh tonnes for rice, 166.90 lakh tonnes for maize, and 31.90 lakh tonnes for sorghum for the upcoming Rabi season. In the 2025-26 Rabi season, the production figures were: 1,206.60 lakh tonnes of wheat, 181.10 lakh tonnes of rice, 200.20 lakh tonnes of maize, 18 lakh tonnes of barley, 30.10 lakh tonnes of sorghum (jowar), 125.10 lakh tonnes of gram (chana), 17.60 lakh tonnes of lentil (masoor), 137.70 lakh tonnes of mustard, and 7.60 lakh tonnes of groundnut.