The sowing of Kharif crops fell by 22.7% as compared to last year as delayed southwest monsoon has slowed planting in several states, showed data released by the Union government on Monday.
As of Thursday, the area under kharif crop cultivation was at 182.7 lakh hectares, down from 236.4 lakh hectares in 2025, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare said.
The Kharif season in India is between June and October. The crops are sown at the beginning of the monsoon and harvested at the end of it.
Oilseeds recorded the steepest decline, with acreage falling 53.3% to 16.9 lakh hectares from 36.4 lakh hectares a year earlier. Soybean sowing saw the biggest drop within the category, followed by groundnut.
While cotton acreage declined by 34.6% to 29.6 lakh hectares, paddy sowing fell 25.2% to 25.7 lakh hectares. Pulse acreage dropped 30.5% to 14.9 lakh hectares, led by lower sowing of arhar, urad and moong.
The India Meteorological Department has forecast seasonal rainfall at 90% of the long-period average this year. Moreover, El Niño conditions are also expected to strengthen during the June-September season.
The El Niño weather phenomenon involves the warming of ocean surface temperatures in the eastern and central Pacific. It typically occurs every few years and has been linked to reduced monsoon...
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