Kharif crop area surpasses last year’s level

23-Jun-2026 09:32 AM

New Delhi: Although the sown area for oilseeds and cotton is lagging behind last year, an increase in acreage for paddy, pulses, coarse cereals, and sugarcane has pushed the total area under Kharif crops to 119.90 lakh hectares. This is 1.95 lakh hectares more than the 117.95 lakh hectares recorded during the same period last year.

According to the latest weekly data from the Union Ministry of Agriculture, as of June 19, the national sown area for major crops this Kharif season shows significant changes compared to last year. The area under paddy has increased sharply from 8.09 lakh hectares to 12.36 lakh hectares. Pulses have risen from 6.39 lakh hectares to 7.21 lakh hectares. Coarse cereals have gone up from 9.82 lakh hectares to 12.43 lakh hectares, and sugarcane has slightly increased from 56.64 lakh hectares to 57.31 lakh hectares.

On the other hand, oilseeds have declined from 8.11 lakh hectares last year to 7.24 lakh hectares this year, while cotton acreage has dropped significantly from 22.82 lakh hectares to 17.13 lakh hectares.

Among pulses, moong (green gram) has seen an unexpected and sharp rise in sowing area, increasing from 2.86 lakh hectares to 4.08 lakh hectares. Sowing of arhar (tur) and kulthi has also increased somewhat, while urad and some other pulses have recorded a decline compared to last year.

In coarse cereals, the area under jowar (sorghum) and maize has increased compared to last year. Among oilseeds, groundnut and sunflower have recorded higher sowing areas, whereas sesame and soybean have seen a decline in acreage.