Sorghum Sowing Dip Curbs Coarse Grains Area
30-Dec-2025 08:36 PM
New Delhi: Although the acreage under maize, barley, and ragi has increased significantly compared to last year, a sharp decline in the area sown with sorghum has resulted in only a marginal increase in the total area under coarse grains.
This acreage is also significantly lower than the normal average area. The pace of sowing has slowed considerably.
The latest weekly data from the Central Ministry of Agriculture shows that the total area under millets and coarse grains reached 49 lakh hectares by December 26 this year, which is only 11,000 hectares more than the 48.89 lakh hectares sown during the same period last year and 6.33 lakh hectares less than the normal (five-year) average area of 55.33 lakh hectares.
The total area under coarse grains during the entire Rabi season of 2024-25 reached 59.05 lakh hectares, compared to which the current sown area in the ongoing season is lagging behind by approximately 10 lakh hectares. Given the slow pace of sowing, bridging this huge gap will not be easy.
According to official figures, compared to last year, the area under sorghum at the national level during the current Rabi season has declined from 22 lakh hectares to 20.38 lakh hectares, and the area sown with bajra (pearl millet) remained stable at the previous level of 11-12 thousand hectares.
On the other hand, during the period under review, the area under ragi improved from 49 thousand hectares to 69 thousand hectares, the area sown with barley increased from 6.08 lakh hectares to 6.78 lakh hectares,
and the area under maize jumped from 20.12 lakh hectares to 20.92 lakh hectares. Cultivation of other millets has been limited to a small area.
In fact, this time, farmers in major agricultural producing states, including Maharashtra and Gujarat, have given special emphasis to sowing other Rabi crops instead of sorghum,
as they expect to get better returns from them. Despite the fall in maize prices, farmers remain enthusiastic and interested in cultivating it.