Rabi Sowing Picks Up Pace: Total Sown Area Reaches 75.77 Lakh Hectares, Up 9.89 Lakh Hectares from Last Year
05 November 2025, New Delhi: The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare has released the latest data on the progress of Rabi crop sowing across India. As of October 31, 2025, a total of 75.77 lakh hectares have been sown under Rabi crops—an increase of 9.89 lakh hectares compared to the corresponding period last year.
The sowing of pulses has seen a significant surge, with 20.77 lakh hectares covered so far, up by 4.28 lakh hectares from 2024-25. Gram remains the leading pulse crop with 14.92 lakh hectares sown—2.77 lakh hectares more than last year. Lentil, field pea, and kulthi have also shown positive growth in area coverage.
Oilseeds continue to show encouraging progress as well, with 42.33 lakh hectares covered this season, marking an impressive rise of 4.91 lakh hectares over last year. Rapeseed and mustard dominate this segment, contributing 41.69 lakh hectares—almost 97% of the total oilseed sowing so far.
Wheat, the key Rabi cereal, has been planted across 3.34 lakh hectares, compared to 2.28 lakh hectares last year—showing an increase of 1.05 lakh hectares. On the other hand, rice sowing has recorded a slight drop, standing at 3.71 lakh hectares—0.79 lakh hectares less than the 2024-25 figure.
In the Shri Anna (Nutri-cereals) and coarse cereals category, crops like barley and ragi have shown increased coverage, while crops such as jowar and maize have witnessed marginal declines.
The Ministry emphasized that the sowing momentum is expected to rise sharply in the coming weeks as winter conditions stabilize across northern and central India. The overall Rabi season normal area stands at 637.80 lakh hectares, indicating that a large sowing window still lies ahead.
| S. No. | Crop / Crop Group | Normal Rabi Area (lakh ha) | Area Sown 2025–26 (lakh ha) | Area Sown 2024–25 (lakh ha) | Increase / Decrease (lakh ha) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wheat | 312.35 | 3.34 | 2.28 | 1.05 |
| 2 | Rice * | 42.93 | 3.71 | 4.51 | -0.79 |
| 3 | Pulses | 140.42 | 20.77 | 16.50 | 4.28 |
| 3a | Gram | 100.99 | 14.92 | 12.15 | 2.77 |
| 3b | Lentil | 15.13 | 2.56 | 1.89 | 0.67 |
| 3c | Field Pea $ | 6.50 | 2.16 | 1.74 | 0.43 |
| 3d | Kulthi $ | 1.98 | 0.47 | 0.23 | 0.24 |
| 3e | Urdbean * | 6.16 | 0.16 | 0.03 | 0.13 |
| 3f | Moongbean * | 1.41 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.00 |
| 3g | Lathyrus $ | 2.79 | 0.10 | 0.08 | 0.01 |
| 3h | Other Pulses $ | 5.46 | 0.40 | 0.37 | 0.03 |
| 4 | Shri Anna & Coarse Cereals | 55.33 | 5.62 | 5.17 | 0.44 |
| 4a | Jowar * | 24.62 | 2.70 | 2.78 | -0.08 |
| 4b | Bajra # | 0.59 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.00 |
| 4c | Ragi # | 0.72 | 0.34 | 0.10 | 0.25 |
| 4d | Small Millets # | 0.16 | 0.01 | 0.01 | -0.01 |
| 4e | Maize * | 23.61 | 2.10 | 2.17 | -0.08 |
| 4f | Barley | 5.63 | 0.47 | 0.11 | 0.36 |
| 5 | Oilseeds | 86.77 | 42.33 | 37.42 | 4.91 |
| 5a | Rapeseed & Mustard | 79.16 | 41.69 | 36.73 | 4.96 |
| 5b | Groundnut * | 3.69 | 0.19 | 0.28 | -0.08 |
| 5c | Safflower | 0.72 | 0.09 | 0.03 | 0.05 |
| 5d | Sunflower * | 0.79 | 0.05 | 0.03 | 0.02 |
| 5e | Sesamum * | 0.48 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 5f | Linseed | 1.93 | 0.29 | 0.33 | -0.04 |
| 5g | Other Oilseeds | 0.00 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.00 |
| Total Crops | 637.80 | 75.77 | 65.88 | 9.89 |
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