Larger Paddy Area Expected to Boost Rice Output

30-Sep-2025 08:41 PM

New Delhi. Encouraged by abundant southwest monsoon rains and the assured purchase at the Minimum Support Price (MSP), farmers have shown significant interest in cultivating paddy, the most important food grain of the Kharif season.

Consequently, the national area under paddy cultivation has reached a new record level of 441.58 lakh hectares, an increase of 5.90 lakh hectares from the 435.68 lakh hectares planted during the same period last year.

The Central Government has increased the minimum support price of paddy by Rs. 69 per quintal for the Kharif marketing season 2025-26, increasing the support price for general grade paddy from Rs. 2300 per quintal to Rs. 2369 per quintal, and for 'A' grade paddy from Rs. 2320 per quintal to Rs. 2389 per quintal. This support price is quite attractive to farmers, and hence they have increased their area under paddy cultivation.

Paddy is cultivated in all states of the country. Initially, the area under cultivation was significantly ahead of the previous year, but gradually the gap has narrowed.

Nevertheless, there has been a significant increase in the area under cultivation in many states. Although severe floods in Punjab are likely to cause some damage to the crop and the harvest there is also likely to start late, the crop condition in most other major producing states is normal or satisfactory.

The arrival of new paddy stocks and the formal start of the new marketing season for government procurement is scheduled to begin on October 1.