Kharif Sowing in Rajasthan Lags Significantly Behind Last Year
14-Jul-2026 08:53 PM
Jaipur. Like Gujarat and several other states, the acreage for Kharif crops in Rajasthan is trailing significantly behind last year's figures. It is noteworthy that Rajasthan is the country's leading producer of moong (green gram), moth bean, bajra (pearl millet), and guar (cluster bean), while ranking second in groundnut and castor production and third in soybean production. Additionally, the state produces significant quantities of jowar (sorghum), maize, cowpea, and cotton.
According to the latest data from the State Agriculture Department, the area under Kharif crops in Rajasthan reached 104.12 lakh hectares by July 13 of the current year. This is 17.83 lakh hectares less than the sowing area of 121.95 lakh hectares recorded during the same period last year, and 60 lakh hectares below the five-year average area of 164.10 lakh hectares.
Official figures indicate that compared to last year, the area under paddy in Rajasthan has slipped from 1.97 lakh hectares to 1.76 lakh hectares; the area under jowar has dropped from 5.52 lakh hectares to 4.28 lakh hectares; the sowing area for bajra has fallen from 37.48 lakh hectares to 27.43 lakh hectares; and the maize acreage has declined from 8.83 lakh hectares to 8.05 lakh hectares.
The area under pulse crops in Rajasthan has also decreased from 27.78 lakh hectares last year to 24.89 lakh hectares this year. Within this category, the sowing area for moong dropped from 17.88 lakh hectares to 16.93 lakh hectares, the area for moth bean fell from 6.62 lakh hectares to 4.61 lakh hectares, and the acreage for tur (pigeon pea) declined from 10,000 hectares to 2,000 hectares. On the other hand, the cultivation area for urad increased from 2.66 lakh hectares to 2.79 lakh hectares, while the sowing area for cowpea (chawla) rose from 53,000 hectares to 54,000 hectares.
The cultivation area for oilseed crops expanded from 18.40 lakh hectares to 18.64 lakh hectares. Within this category, although the sowing area for soybean declined from 9.03 lakh hectares to 8.06 lakh hectares and the acreage for sesame dropped from 1.22 lakh hectares to 65,000 hectares, the sowing area for groundnut increased from 8.05 lakh hectares to 9.81 lakh hectares, and the area under castor rose from 10,000 hectares to 12,000 hectares.
In Rajasthan, the cultivation area for cotton fell from 6.14 lakh hectares to 5.23 lakh hectares, and the sowing area for guar decreased from 13.36 lakh hectares to 11.10 lakh hectares.