11 November 2026, New Delhi, IN: India’s rabi, or winter-sown, crop area stood at 37.56 lakh hectares (3.76 million hectares) as of October 30, down nearly 46 percent from 69.02 lakh hectares (6.9 million hectares) sown at the same point last year, according to data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. The shortfall has been driven primarily by a sharp drop in early wheat sowing, with the ministry’s data showing wheat acreage at just 19,000 hectares against 3.34 lakh hectares a year earlier, a decline of more than 94 percent from a still-small early-season base.
Pulses acreage fell 51.69 percent to 9.45 lakh hectares from 19.56 lakh hectares, with chickpea, known locally as gram, down 58.91 percent to 5.90 lakh hectares, lentil down 48.51 percent and pea down 32.71 percent. Oilseed sowing dropped 45.7 percent to 20.97 lakh hectares, led by a 46.16 percent decline in rapeseed and mustard acreage to 20.50 lakh hectares and an 82.1 percent fall in linseed, though groundnut and sunflower sowing both rose from a small base. Winter-sown paddy held comparatively steady, down just 3.76 percent to 3.16 lakh hectares.
Ministry Says It Is Too Early to Draw Conclusions
Experts cited by the ministry attributed the slow start to a 13 percent deficient June to September monsoon, which left reduced residual soil moisture in the ground ahead of the rabi sowing window. A senior agriculture ministry official said on November 6 that it remains too early to draw conclusions about the season, noting that rabi sowing can continue through December and that the current month is critical for farmers to catch up. The ministry has, for the first time, prepared a contingency plan covering 225 districts, which officials described as dynamic and subject to revision as weather conditions evolve.
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan chaired a review meeting on the sowing progress, directing officials to speed up rabi planting by making use of residual soil moisture left over from the kharif harvest. He urged farmers working with limited irrigation access to prioritise short-duration and drought-tolerant crops such as chana, mustard, masoor and millets over more water-intensive options. The ministry said supplies of urea, DAP, MOP and NPK fertilisers, along with certified seed, remain adequate to meet farmer demand as sowing accelerates through November. Officials also indicated that a new soil health policy could be announced within the next three to four months.
Global Agriculture is an independent international media platform covering agri-business, policy, technology, and sustainability. For editorial collaborations, thought leadership, and strategic communications, write to pr@global-agriculture.com
