India’s kharif sowing declines 6.04 pc year-on-year till July 17; pulses acreage drops over 15 pc: Govt data

NEW DELHI: The area under kharif crop sowing in India stood at 658.19 lakh hectares as of July 17, 2026, down 42.28 lakh hectares, or 6.04 per cent, from 700.47 lakh hectares during the corresponding period last year, according to the latest data released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare.

Rice, the country’s main kharif crop, was sown over 166.41 lakh hectares, compared with 167.83 lakh hectares a year ago, marking a decline of 1.41 lakh hectares, or 0.84 per cent.

The acreage under pulses fell sharply to 69.23 lakh hectares from 81.52 lakh hectares last year, registering a decline of 12.29 lakh hectares, or 15.08 per cent. Among pulses, arhar acreage declined 17.78 per cent to 24.80 lakh hectares from 30.17 lakh hectares, while moongbean sowing fell 11.02 per cent and urdbean acreage declined 5.92 per cent compared to the corresponding period last year.

Sowing of Shri Anna (coarse cereals) also witnessed a decline, with the area reducing to 119.03 lakh hectares from 134.09 lakh hectares, down 15.06 lakh hectares, or 11.23 per cent. Bajra recorded one of the steepest declines among cereals, with acreage falling 18.50 per cent to 39.98 lakh hectares, while maize acreage declined 5.05 per cent to 67.89 lakh hectares.

The area under oilseeds stood at 147.09 lakh hectares, compared to 155.72 lakh hectares in the same period last year, reflecting a decline of 8.63 lakh hectares, or 5.54 per cent. Soybean sowing dropped 4.53 per cent to 106.02 lakh hectares from 111.05 lakh hectares, while groundnut acreage declined 8.41 per cent to 34.52 lakh hectares from 37.69 lakh hectares.

In contrast, sugarcane acreage increased 1.52 per cent to 57.58 lakh hectares from 56.72 lakh hectares last year, while jute and mesta registered a 2.10 per cent rise to 6.32 lakh hectares from 6.19 lakh hectares. Cotton acreage, however, declined 5.97 per cent to 92.53 lakh hectares from 98.40 lakh hectares. (ANI)