Wheat Acreage Nearing Record Levels

02-Dec-2025 01:36 PM

New Delhi. The pace of sowing of wheat, the most important food grain in the Rabi season, is witnessing a rapid pace this year, and it appears that if this trend continues, the area under wheat cultivation could reach new record levels. Farmers in the country's major producing states are showing great interest in wheat cultivation.

According to the latest data from the Union Agriculture Ministry, the total area under wheat production at the national level during the current Rabi season, as of November 28, 2025, has jumped to 187.37 lakh hectares,

which is 27.11 lakh hectares more than the 160.26 lakh hectares sown during the same period last year. The normal average area under wheat for the current Rabi season has been fixed at 312.35 lakh hectares, and it is expected that the total area under wheat cultivation will exceed this by the time the sowing process is completed.

Wheat sowing has either been completed or is in its final stages in Punjab, Haryana, and western Uttar Pradesh, while vigorous sowing is still underway in eastern Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Jharkhand,

among other states. Wheat sowing begins relatively early in the northwestern states. Favorable weather conditions and a significant increase in the minimum support price have encouraged farmers and are making every effort to increase wheat acreage.

The central government had fixed the minimum support price (MSP) for wheat at ₹2,425 per quintal for the 2024-25 season, which has been increased by ₹160 to ₹2,585 per quintal for the 2025-26 season.

The Food Corporation of India will procure large quantities of wheat from farmers for the central pool at this support price. During the last season, farmers in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan were given additional bonuses of ₹175 and ₹150 per quintal, respectively, above the minimum support price for wheat.