India’s Kharif Sowing Down by 53.74 Lakh Hectares from Last Year; Soybean, Cotton and Oilseeds Lead Decline

30 June 2026, New Delhi: India’s Kharif sowing has reached 182.72 lakh hectares as of 25 June 2026, compared with 236.46 lakh hectares during the corresponding period last year, reflecting an overall decline of 53.74 lakh hectares (22.7%), according to the latest data released by the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India.

The pace of Kharif sowing is expected to improve over the coming week as the southwest monsoon advances further across key agricultural regions. According to the latest weather outlook, conditions remain favourable for the monsoon to progress into additional parts of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand over the next three to four days. 

The largest setback has been recorded in oilseeds, where the sown area has fallen by 19.42 lakh hectares year-on-year. Within the oilseed segment, soybean registered the sharpest decline, with acreage dropping by 13.05 lakh hectares, followed by groundnut, down 6.42 lakh hectares.

Cotton sowing has also witnessed a significant contraction, declining by 15.70 lakh hectares compared with the same period in 2025. Among cereals, rice acreage is lower by 8.65 lakh hectares, while Shri Anna (coarse cereals) is down by 4.23 lakh hectares.

Pulse sowing has declined by 6.53 lakh hectares, mainly due to reduced acreage under arhar (-4.89 lakh hectares) and urdbean (-1.44 lakh hectares). However, a few crops have registered higher sowing compared to last year, including jowar (+0.68 lakh hectares), sunflower (+0.29 lakh hectares), sugarcane (+0.67 lakh hectares), and jute & mesta (+0.12 lakh hectares).

The lower sowing reflects a relatively slow start to the Kharif season in several major producing states. With the southwest monsoon expected to advance further across key agricultural regions, planting activity is likely to accelerate in the coming weeks. The coming fortnight will be crucial for crops such as soybean, cotton, rice, maize and pulses, which typically account for the bulk of Kharif acreage.

Kharif Crop Area Coverage (as on 25 June 2026)

Crop	Normal Area (Lakh ha)	Final Area 2025	Area Sown 2026 (Lakh ha)	Area Sown 2025 (Lakh ha)	Change vs 2025 (Lakh ha)
Rice	412.00	446.70	25.75	34.41	-8.65
Pulses	123.64	118.97	14.92	21.46	-6.53
├─ Arhar	44.32	44.60	3.56	8.45	-4.89
├─ Urdbean	29.60	21.26	1.07	2.51	-1.44
├─ Moongbean	35.48	37.45	8.37	8.63	-0.26
├─ Kulthi	1.48	0.13	0.10	0.03	+0.07
├─ Mothbean	9.69	0.82	0.56	0.26	+0.30
└─ Other Pulses	3.07	15.66	0.98	1.21	-0.23
Shri Anna / Coarse Cereals	182.63	192.12	31.84	36.07	-4.23
├─ Jowar	14.44	12.10	3.38	2.70	+0.68
├─ Bajra	70.94	63.80	11.34	13.06	-1.72
├─ Ragi	12.01	13.46	0.66	0.73	-0.07
├─ Small Millets	4.47	4.15	0.75	0.97	-0.22
└─ Maize	80.77	98.61	15.71	18.61	-2.90
Oilseeds	200.08	196.38	16.99	36.41	-19.42
├─ Groundnut	46.79	50.29	8.87	15.29	-6.42
├─ Soybean	128.71	123.86	6.92	19.97	-13.05
├─ Sunflower	1.20	0.88	0.73	0.44	+0.29
├─ Sesamum	12.88	9.63	0.36	0.63	-0.27
├─ Niger	1.01	0.83	0.02	0.00	+0.02
├─ Castor	9.49	10.89	0.04	0.03	+0.01
└─ Other Oilseeds	0.00	0.04	0.04	0.00	+0.04
Sugarcane	54.20	58.84	57.31	56.64	+0.67
Jute & Mesta	6.40	6.06	6.25	6.13	+0.12
Cotton	125.51	115.20	29.66	45.36	-15.70
Total	1104.46	1134.27	182.72	236.46	-53.74

Also Read: India: INERA Crop Science and CropNXT Partner to Expand Biological Agri-Input Access Across Five States

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