Rabi season paddy area ahead of last year

25-Nov-2025 08:41 PM

New Delhi. Strong arrivals and government procurement of Kharif season paddy are ongoing, while cultivation for the Rabi season is also gaining momentum.

During the Rabi season, paddy is cultivated primarily in South and Eastern India, with Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, West Bengal, and Assam producing good crops.

In the 2025-26 Kharif season, the national paddy area has jumped to a new record of 44.1 million hectares.

Despite some crop damage due to natural disasters, a robust paddy production is expected this year, which may also increase government procurement.

As for the current Kharif season, the paddy production area has increased to 8.25 lakh hectares as of November 21, which is 65,000 hectares more than the 7.60 lakh hectares during the same period last year.

The normal average area under paddy cultivation for the current Rabi season is estimated at 42.93 lakh hectares, against which only 20% of the area has been cultivated.

The northeast monsoon is active in South India, resulting in good rainfall. This rain will significantly assist farmers in transplanting paddy.

The Minimum Support Price (MSP) for paddy has been increased by ₹69 compared to the 2024-25 season to ₹2369 per quintal for the general category and ₹2389 per quintal for the 'A' grade,

which is attractive to farmers as large government procurement of paddy takes place at this minimum support price, thus benefiting them significantly.