India’s Rabi Sowing Progress 2025–26: Crop-wise Area Coverage as on 9 January 2026

14 January 2026, New Delhi: The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare has released the Progress of Area Coverage under Rabi Crops as on 9 January 2026, offering an early-season snapshot of farmers’ sowing decisions across India.

The data indicate that total rabi sowing during the current season has reached 644.29 lakh hectares, registering an increase of 17.65 lakh hectares compared to the corresponding period of last year. This translates into an overall growth of about 2.82 percent, reflecting stable farmer confidence supported by favourable weather conditions, adequate soil moisture, and timely input availability in several key producing states.

Wheat Strengthens Its Dominance

Wheat continues to anchor India’s rabi season. As of 9 January 2026, wheat has been sown across 334.17 lakh hectares, up from 328.04 lakh hectares during the same period last year. The increase of 6.13 lakh hectares represents a year-on-year growth of around 1.87 percent.

The current wheat area is also significantly higher than the normal rabi area of 312.35 lakh hectares, underlining sustained farmer preference for the crop amid stable procurement prospects and comparatively better price visibility.

Rice Area Records Sharp Percentage Growth

Although rabi rice occupies a smaller share of total acreage, it has posted one of the highest percentage increases this season. Area under rabi rice stands at 21.71 lakh hectares, compared to 19.49 lakh hectares during the same period last year.

The increase of 2.22 lakh hectares corresponds to a growth of nearly 11.39 percent, suggesting improved water availability in certain command areas and greater adoption of short-duration varieties in eastern and southern states.

Pulses Gain Gradually, Gram Leads the Segment

Total area under pulses has reached 136.36 lakh hectares, compared to 132.61 lakh hectares last year, marking an increase of 3.74 lakh hectares and a growth of about 2.82 percent.

Within pulses, gram (chickpea) remains the dominant contributor, expanding by 4.66 lakh hectares, which translates into a growth of around 5.11 percent over last year’s corresponding area. Lentil has also shown a modest rise, while fieldpea, kulthi, urdbean, and moongbean have witnessed marginal declines, reflecting region-specific shifts and weather sensitivities.

Shri Anna and Coarse Cereals Show Mixed Trends

The category of Shri Anna and coarse cereals has recorded a total sown area of 55.20 lakh hectares, up from 53.17 lakh hectares last year. The increase of 2.03 lakh hectares reflects a growth of about 3.82 percent.

Barley and maize have been the key drivers within this group. Barley alone has expanded by 1.28 lakh hectares, while maize has grown by 1.75 lakh hectares, indicating rising demand from feed, malting, and industrial segments. In contrast, jowar has seen a contraction in area, continuing a longer-term trend of substitution by other crops.

Oilseeds Continue Upward Trajectory

Oilseeds remain one of the most encouraging segments in the current rabi season. Total oilseed acreage has reached 96.86 lakh hectares, compared to 93.33 lakh hectares last year, showing an increase of 3.53 lakh hectares and a growth of approximately 3.78 percent.

Rapeseed and mustard dominate the oilseed basket, accounting for most of the expansion with an increase of 2.79 lakh hectares. Linseed and safflower have also recorded gains, while sesamum has seen a slight dip, reflecting crop-wise variations in profitability and agro-climatic suitability.

Overall Rabi Outlook: Stable and Moderately Positive

At an aggregate level, the total rabi cropped area of 644.29 lakh hectares exceeds last year’s corresponding coverage of 626.64 lakh hectares, reinforcing a 2.82 percent year-on-year growth. While the acreage is still slightly below the final rabi area of 2024–25, the current pace of sowing suggests that further expansion remains possible in late-sown pockets.

The acreage trends point towards stable cereal production prospects, gradual strengthening of pulses, and a continued policy-driven push for oilseeds, all of which are critical for food security and import reduction objectives.

Progress of Area Coverage under Rabi Crops (Area in lakh hectares)

S. No.	Crop	Normal Rabi Area (DES)	Final Rabi Area 2024–25	Progressive Area Sown 2025–26	Corresponding Period 2024–25	Increase (+) / Decrease (–)	Growth over Last Year (%)
1	Wheat	312.35	328.04	334.17	328.04	+6.13	1.87
2	Rice	42.93	44.73	21.71	19.49	+2.22	11.39
3	Pulses (Total)	140.42	134.08	136.36	132.61	+3.74	2.82
a	Gram	100.99	91.22	95.88	91.22	+4.66	5.11
b	Lentil	15.13	16.99	18.12	17.66	+0.45	2.55
c	Fieldpea	6.50	–	7.92	8.27	–0.35	–4.23
d	Kulthi	1.98	–	1.98	2.41	–0.43	–17.84
e	Urdbean	6.16	6.18	4.37	4.70	–0.33	–7.02
f	Moongbean	1.41	1.36	0.74	0.76	–0.02	–2.63
g	Lathyrus	2.79	–	2.98	2.92	+0.06	2.05
h	Other Pulses	5.46	18.33	4.37	4.67	–0.30	–6.42
4	Shri Anna & Coarse Cereals (Total)	55.33	59.05	55.20	53.17	+2.03	3.82
a	Jowar	24.62	25.17	21.36	22.66	–1.30	–5.74
b	Bajra	0.59	–	0.15	0.14	0.00	0.00
c	Ragi	0.72	–	0.97	0.70	+0.27	38.57
d	Small Millets	0.16	–	0.13	0.10	+0.03	30.00
e	Maize	23.61	27.80	25.24	23.49	+1.75	7.45
f	Barley	5.63	6.08	7.36	6.08	+1.28	21.05
5	Oilseeds (Total)	86.78	93.49	96.86	93.33	+3.53	3.78
a	Rapeseed & Mustard	79.17	86.57	89.36	86.57	+2.79	3.22
b	Groundnut	3.69	3.37	3.52	3.37	+0.15	4.45
c	Safflower	0.72	0.64	0.89	0.67	+0.22	32.84
d	Sunflower	0.79	0.81	0.55	0.42	+0.14	33.33
e	Sesamum	0.48	0.41	0.14	0.19	–0.04	–21.05
f	Linseed	1.93	1.69	1.99	1.76	+0.23	13.07
g	Other Oilseeds	0.00	–	0.40	0.35	+0.05	14.29
	Total Crops	637.81	659.39	644.29	626.64	+17.65	2.82

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