Oilseed Crop Area Reaches 96.86 Lakh Hectares

12-Jan-2026 09:05 PM

New Delhi. Due to good sowing of mustard and improvement in the area under other crops, the total area under Rabi oilseed crops has increased by about 3.50 lakh hectares.

Broadly, except for sesame, the area under other oilseeds has surpassed last year's figures, including groundnut, sunflower, linseed, and safflower.

According to the latest data from the Union Ministry of Agriculture, the total area under oilseed crops in the current Rabi season, as of January 9, 2026, has increased to 96.86 lakh hectares, which is 3.53 lakh hectares more than the 93.33 lakh hectares sown during the same period last year and 10.08 lakh hectares more than the five-year average area of ​​86.78 lakh hectares. The total area under oilseed crops during the entire Rabi season last year was recorded at 93.49 lakh hectares, indicating a higher sowing area this year.

According to the available data, compared to last year, the area under the most important oilseed crop, mustard, has increased from 86.57 lakh hectares to 89.36 lakh hectares in the current Rabi season.

The area under groundnut has increased from 3.37 lakh hectares to 3.52 lakh hectares, and the area under linseed has improved from 1.76 lakh hectares to 1.99 lakh hectares.

In addition, safflower was cultivated on 89,000 hectares and sunflower on 55,000 hectares, compared to 67,000 hectares and 42,000 hectares respectively last year.

However, the area under sesame has decreased from 19,000 hectares to 14,000 hectares, while the area under other oilseeds has improved from 35,000 hectares to 40,000 hectares.

With sowing almost complete, attention is now focused on crop progress. The arrival of the new mustard crop is expected to begin next month.