India’s Kharif Sowing Falls Behind Last Year, Soybean, Rice and Cotton Lead Decline

14 July 2026, New Delhi: India’s Kharif crop sowing has reached 531.25 lakh hectares as of July 10, 2026, significantly trailing the 632.69 lakh hectares reported during the corresponding period last year, according to data released by the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare on July 13. The current sowing area is also below the recent five-year normal of 549.36 lakh hectares, reflecting a slower start to the 2026 monsoon planting season.

The country has sown 101.44 lakh hectares less than the same period in 2025 and 18.11 lakh hectares below the normal area. The decline is visible across nearly all major crop categories, including rice, pulses, coarse cereals, oilseeds and cotton, while sugarcane and jute & mesta have registered modest gains.

India Kharif Sowing Progress as on July 10, 2026 (Area in lakh hectares)

Crop	Normal Area (2020-21 to 2024-25)	Final Area 2025	Normal Area Sown (2021-25 Avg.)	Area Sown 2025*	Area Sown 2026	Difference vs 2025
Rice	412.00	446.70	97.74	125.53	114.69	-10.84
Pulses	123.64	118.97	62.20	73.85	56.63	-17.22
(i) Arhar	44.32	44.60	24.20	28.03	19.54	-8.49
(ii) Urd Bean	29.60	21.26	13.81	13.29	9.34	-3.95
(iii) Moong Bean	35.48	37.45	18.35	24.08	21.52	-2.56
(iv) Kulthi	1.48	—	0.14	0.13	0.14	+0.01
(v) Moth Bean	9.69	—	1.38	6.12	4.40	-1.72
(vi) Other Pulses	3.07	15.66	4.32	2.20	1.69	-0.52
Shri Anna / Coarse Cereals	182.63	192.12	101.38	127.30	98.69	-28.61
(i) Jowar	14.44	12.10	7.64	9.01	6.88	-2.13
(ii) Bajra	70.94	63.80	35.11	45.98	33.76	-12.22
(iii) Ragi	12.01	13.46	1.06	1.11	0.93	-0.18
(iv) Small Millets	4.47	4.15	1.83	1.64	1.16	-0.48
(v) Maize	80.77	98.61	55.74	69.56	55.97	-13.59
Oilseeds	200.08	196.38	130.81	149.18	117.83	-31.34
(i) Groundnut	46.79	50.29	29.95	35.45	23.40	-12.05
(ii) Soybean	128.71	123.86	96.04	107.72	90.51	-17.21
(iii) Sunflower	1.20	0.88	0.71	0.53	0.86	+0.33
(iv) Sesamum	12.88	9.63	3.77	5.17	2.79	-2.38
(v) Niger	1.01	0.83	0.07	0.01	0.06	+0.05
(vi) Castor	9.49	10.89	0.22	0.24	0.14	-0.10
(vii) Other Oilseeds	0.00	—	0.05	0.05	0.07	+0.03
Sugarcane	54.20	58.84	55.22	56.72	57.58	+0.86
Jute & Mesta	6.40	6.06	6.18	6.16	6.28	+0.12
Cotton	125.51	115.20	95.83	93.95	79.54	-14.41
Grand Total	1104.46	1134.27	549.36	632.69	531.25	-101.44

Rice Sowing Trails Last Year but Remains Above Historical Average

Rice, India’s largest Kharif crop, has been planted over 114.69 lakh hectares, down from 125.53 lakh hectares a year earlier, representing a decline of 10.84 lakh hectares. However, rice acreage remains 16.95 lakh hectares above the five-year normal area of 97.74 lakh hectares, suggesting that planting is progressing at a relatively healthy pace compared with historical trends despite the slower start.

Pulses Register Mixed Performance

Total pulses have been sown over 56.63 lakh hectares, compared with 73.85 lakh hectares during the same period last year, a decline of 17.22 lakh hectares. The area also remains 5.57 lakh hectares below the normal level.

Among pulse crops:

• Arhar (Pigeonpea) declined by 8.49 lakh hectares year-on-year.
• Urd bean was lower by 3.95 lakh hectares.
• Moong bean showed relative resilience, remaining 3.17 lakh hectares above the normal area despite being slightly behind last year’s pace.
• Moth bean exceeded its normal acreage by 3.02 lakh hectares, although it remained below 2025 levels.

Coarse Cereals and Maize See Slower Planting

Sowing under Shri Anna (coarse cereals and millets) stood at 98.69 lakh hectares, down 28.61 lakh hectares from last year and 2.70 lakh hectares below normal.

Within the category, maize, one of India’s most important feed and industrial crops, covered 55.97 lakh hectares, a decline of 13.59 lakh hectares compared with 2025. However, maize acreage remains broadly in line with its historical average.

Bajra, jowar, ragi and small millets also recorded lower sowing compared with both last year and normal levels.

Oilseeds Face the Sharpest Decline

Oilseeds recorded the steepest reduction among major crop groups. Total oilseed sowing reached 117.83 lakh hectares, compared with 149.18 lakh hectares during the same period last year, a decline of 31.34 lakh hectares. The area is also 12.98 lakh hectares below the normal level.

Soybean, India’s dominant Kharif oilseed, has been planted over 90.51 lakh hectares, down 17.21 lakh hectares from the corresponding period in 2025 and 5.53 lakh hectares below the five-year average.

Groundnut acreage also fell sharply to 23.40 lakh hectares, a decline of 12.05 lakh hectares year-on-year.

Among oilseeds, sunflower was the only major crop showing an increase over both last year and the normal area.

Cotton Sowing Remains Weak

Cotton acreage stood at 79.54 lakh hectares, compared with 93.95 lakh hectares during the same period last year, representing a decline of 14.41 lakh hectares. Cotton also remains 16.28 lakh hectares below its normal sowing area, making it one of the weakest-performing major crops this season.

Sugarcane and Jute Maintain Stability

Sugarcane continued to outperform historical trends, with sowing reaching 57.58 lakh hectares, slightly above last year’s level and 2.36 lakh hectares higher than the normal area.

Similarly, jute and mesta recorded 6.28 lakh hectares, marginally exceeding both last year’s coverage and the historical average.

Monsoon Progress to Determine Recovery

The Ministry’s latest figures represent an early-season snapshot, and sowing activity is expected to continue through July as the southwest monsoon advances across key agricultural regions. The current shortfall may narrow if rainfall remains favourable during the remaining sowing window.

Also Read: UPL Launches New Herbicide Ricebeaux to Tackle Weed Pressure in India’s Rice Belt

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