Production area of Kharif crops is 13 lakh hectares ahead of last year
24-Jun-2025 01:27 PM
New Delhi. According to the latest data from the Union Agriculture Ministry, the total sown area of Kharif crops in India reached 137.84 lakh hectares as of June 20, 2025.
This marks an increase of nearly 13 lakh hectares compared to 124.88 lakh hectares during the same period in 2024.
The increase has been driven by a rise in the sowing area of paddy, pulses, coarse cereals, sugarcane, and cotton. However, the area under oilseed crops has declined compared to last year.
In the current Kharif season, the area under paddy cultivation has increased from 8.37 lakh hectares to 13.22 lakh hectares.
Pulses have seen a rise from 6.63 lakh hectares to 9.44 lakh hectares, and coarse cereals have expanded from 14.77 lakh hectares to 18.03 lakh hectares. On the other hand, oilseeds have declined slightly from 5.49 lakh hectares to 5.38 lakh hectares.
Among cash and industrial crops, the area under sugarcane cultivation increased marginally from 54.88 lakh hectares to 55.07 lakh hectares. Cotton sowing rose from 29.12 lakh hectares to 31.25 lakh hectares.
Within the pulses category, the area of Arhar (Tur) decreased from 2.61 lakh hectares to 2.48 lakh hectares. However, Urad saw an increase from 62 thousand hectares to 1.39 lakh hectares, and Moong expanded significantly from 2.67 lakh hectares to 4.43 lakh hectares. Other pulses such as Moth and Kulthi increased from 74 thousand hectares to 1.02 lakh hectares.
In coarse cereals, maize continues to lead with a sharp rise in the sown area from 10.31 lakh hectares last year to 12.32 lakh hectares this year. Sorghum (Jowar) increased from 90 thousand hectares to 1.51 lakh hectares, and Bajra rose from 2.71 lakh hectares to 3.70 lakh hectares.
However, in oilseeds, the sowing of groundnut and soybean is lagging. The area under groundnut fell from 1.91 lakh hectares to 1.78 lakh hectares, and soybean declined slightly from 3.12 lakh hectares to 3.07 lakh hectares. Sunflower and sesame, on the other hand, recorded a marginal increase in area.