Kharif Sowing Begins in India; Rice and Bajra Acreage Shows Early Growth

18 June 2026, New Delhi: The sowing of Kharif crops has commenced across India with farmers covering 84.60 lakh hectares as of June 12, according to the latest data released by the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare. The total area sown is marginally lower than the 88.04 lakh hectares recorded during the corresponding period last year, reflecting a decline of 3.44 lakh hectares.

Rice, the country’s principal Kharif crop, has registered a positive start. Farmers have planted rice over 4.98 lakh hectares, compared to 3.88 lakh hectares during the same period in 2025, marking an increase of 1.09 lakh hectares.

Among coarse cereals (Shri Anna), the total area under cultivation reached 4.77 lakh hectares, up from 4.32 lakh hectares last year. Bajra emerged as the strongest performer, with sowing increasing sharply to 1.15 lakh hectares from 0.24 lakh hectares a year ago. Ragi also recorded a marginal increase, while maize acreage declined slightly.

Pulses witnessed a slower start this season. The area under pulses stood at 1.55 lakh hectares, down from 2.73 lakh hectares last year. Major pulse crops including arhar, moongbean and urdbean all reported lower sowing compared to the corresponding period in 2025.

Oilseed sowing remained largely stable at 3.51 lakh hectares, nearly matching last year’s 3.54 lakh hectares. Groundnut acreage increased by 0.30 lakh hectares to reach 2.57 lakh hectares, while soybean sowing declined to 0.70 lakh hectares from 0.90 lakh hectares during the same period last year.

Cotton registered the steepest decline among major Kharif crops. The area under cotton stood at 9.53 lakh hectares compared to 13.19 lakh hectares in the previous year, representing a decrease of 3.66 lakh hectares. Sugarcane acreage also witnessed a marginal reduction, while jute and mesta recorded a slight increase.

The Ministry’s data indicates that the pace of Kharif sowing will likely accelerate in the coming weeks as the southwest monsoon advances further across major agricultural regions. The progress of monsoon rains during June and July will remain crucial in determining the final acreage and production prospects for the 2026-27 Kharif season.

According to the Ministry, the normal Kharif cropped area across major crops stands at 1,104.46 lakh hectares, while the final Kharif acreage in 2025 was 1,134.27 lakh hectares.

Progress of Area Coverage under Kharif Crops (As on 12 June 2026)

Area: Lakh Hectares

S. No.	Crop	Normal Area (2020-21 to 2024-25)	Final Area Coverage 2025	Area Sown 2026	Area Sown 2025	Increase (+) / Decrease (-) over 2025
1	Rice	412.00	446.70	4.98	3.88	+1.09
2	Pulses	123.64	118.97	1.55	2.73	-1.18
a	Arhar	44.32	44.60	0.09	0.21	-0.12
b	Urdbean	29.60	21.26	0.27	0.35	-0.07
c	Moongbean	35.48	37.45	0.69	1.54	-0.86
d	Kulthi	1.48	—	0.08	0.06	+0.02
e	Mothbean	9.69	—	0.00	0.00	0.00
f	Other Pulses*	3.07	15.66	0.41	0.57	-0.16
3	Shri Anna & Coarse Cereals	182.63	192.12	4.77	4.32	+0.45
a	Jowar	14.44	12.10	0.73	0.80	-0.07
b	Bajra**	70.94	63.80	1.15	0.24	+0.91
c	Ragi	12.01	13.46	0.31	0.30	+0.01
d	Small Millets	4.47	4.15	0.31	0.39	-0.08
e	Maize	80.77	98.61	2.28	2.59	-0.32
4	Oilseeds	200.08	196.38	3.51	3.54	-0.02
a	Groundnut	46.79	50.29	2.57	2.27	+0.30
b	Soybean	128.71	123.86	0.70	0.90	-0.20
c	Sunflower	1.20	0.88	0.16	0.22	-0.06
d	Sesamum**	12.88	9.63	0.05	0.11	-0.06
e	Niger	1.01	0.83	0.00	0.00	0.00
f	Castor	9.49	10.89	0.00	0.01	0.00
g	Other Oilseeds	0.00	—	0.03	0.03	0.00
5	Sugarcane	54.20	58.84	54.08	54.29	-0.21
6	Jute & Mesta	6.40	6.06	6.18	6.09	+0.10
7	Cotton	125.51	115.20	9.53	13.19	-3.66
Total	All Crops	1104.46	1134.27	84.60	88.04	-3.44

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