India’s Kharif Sowing Area Reaches 531.25 Lakh Hectares by July 10, 2026

India’s kharif cultivation covered 531.25 lakh hectares as of July 10, 2026, according to the latest crop-area data released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. The figures provide an early-season picture of planting activity across rice, pulses, millets, maize, oilseeds, sugarcane, cotton, jute and mesta.

The total area planted by this stage stood below the 632.69 lakh hectares recorded during the corresponding period of 2025. It was also 18.11 lakh hectares below the average coverage of 549.36 lakh hectares recorded at this point during recent agricultural seasons. The year-on-year difference amounted to 101.44 lakh hectares, indicating that the pace of sowing during the opening phase of the 2026 kharif season remained slower than the exceptionally high coverage reported a year earlier.

Rice Remains Ahead of the Normal Sowing Level

Rice accounted for 114.69 lakh hectares of the total kharif area covered by July 10. This was 10.84 lakh hectares below the 125.53 lakh hectares planted during the corresponding period of 2025.

The current rice acreage, however, remained 16.95 lakh hectares above the recent normal coverage of 97.74 lakh hectares for this stage of the season. This means that rice sowing was approximately 17 per cent above its normal progress level, even while remaining lower than the unusually strong pace recorded in 2025.

India’s normal full-season rice area is estimated at 412 lakh hectares, while the final coverage during the 2025 kharif season reached 446.70 lakh hectares. The July figures therefore represent an intermediate stage, with transplanting and direct sowing expected to continue across several major rice-growing regions.

Pulses Cover 56.63 Lakh Hectares

The total area planted with kharif pulses reached 56.63 lakh hectares. This was lower than the 73.85 lakh hectares covered by the same date in 2025 and 5.57 lakh hectares below the recent normal level of 62.20 lakh hectares.

Arhar, or pigeon pea, was planted across 19.54 lakh hectares, compared with 28.03 lakh hectares during the corresponding period of the previous year. Urd bean covered 9.34 lakh hectares, while moong bean was planted across 21.52 lakh hectares.

Moong emerged as one of the relatively stronger pulse crops when compared with normal sowing progress. Its area was 3.17 lakh hectares above the recent normal level of 18.35 lakh hectares, although it remained 2.56 lakh hectares below the area planted by the same date in 2025.

The overall pulse acreage will remain an important component of the kharif season because arhar, urd and moong contribute directly to India’s domestic pulse supply. Further planting progress during the remaining sowing window will determine how closely the final acreage approaches the normal full-season pulse area of 123.64 lakh hectares.

Shri Anna and Coarse Cereals Reach 98.69 Lakh Hectares

The combined area under Shri Anna and coarse cereals stood at 98.69 lakh hectares. The corresponding coverage in 2025 was 127.30 lakh hectares, while the recent normal level for this stage was 101.38 lakh hectares.

Bajra accounted for 33.76 lakh hectares, compared with 45.98 lakh hectares in the previous year. Jowar covered 6.88 lakh hectares, ragi covered 0.93 lakh hectares and small millets occupied 1.16 lakh hectares.

Maize remained the largest crop within this category, with sowing completed across 55.97 lakh hectares. Although maize acreage was 13.59 lakh hectares lower than the 69.56 lakh hectares recorded at the same stage in 2025, it remained marginally above the recent normal level of 55.74 lakh hectares.

The maize figures show that comparisons with the previous year and comparisons with normal seasonal progress can present different pictures. The 2026 acreage was behind last year’s rapid expansion while broadly matching the average planting pace observed over recent seasons.

Oilseed Sowing Stands at 117.83 Lakh Hectares

Oilseeds occupied 117.83 lakh hectares as of July 10. This represented a decline of 31.34 lakh hectares from the 149.18 lakh hectares recorded during the corresponding period of 2025. The current acreage was also 12.98 lakh hectares below the recent normal coverage of 130.81 lakh hectares.

Soybean remained the dominant kharif oilseed, covering 90.51 lakh hectares. This was lower than the 107.72 lakh hectares planted by the same date in 2025 and 5.53 lakh hectares below the normal progress level.

Groundnut sowing reached 23.40 lakh hectares, compared with 35.45 lakh hectares in 2025. Sesamum covered 2.79 lakh hectares, while sunflower cultivation expanded to 0.86 lakh hectares. Sunflower acreage was higher than both the 0.53 lakh hectares recorded during the corresponding period of 2025 and the normal coverage of 0.71 lakh hectares.

The remaining oilseed area included niger, castor and other minor crops. Oilseed planting progress during the subsequent weeks will be closely watched because the final acreage influences the domestic availability of soybean, groundnut, sunflower and other edible-oil crops.

Sugarcane and Jute Record Higher Coverage

Sugarcane cultivation reached 57.58 lakh hectares, exceeding the 56.72 lakh hectares reported during the corresponding period of 2025. It was also 2.36 lakh hectares above the recent normal level of 55.22 lakh hectares.

The area under sugarcane had already exceeded its normal full-season area of 54.20 lakh hectares, although it remained slightly below the final 2025 coverage of 58.84 lakh hectares.

Jute and mesta also recorded a modest increase. Their combined acreage reached 6.28 lakh hectares, compared with 6.16 lakh hectares during the corresponding period of 2025. The current area was marginally higher than the recent normal level of 6.18 lakh hectares.

Cotton Acreage Reaches 79.54 Lakh Hectares

Cotton was planted across 79.54 lakh hectares by July 10. This was 14.41 lakh hectares below the 93.95 lakh hectares recorded during the corresponding period of 2025 and 16.28 lakh hectares below the recent normal level of 95.83 lakh hectares.

India’s normal full-season cotton area is estimated at 125.51 lakh hectares. Final cotton coverage during 2025 stood at 115.20 lakh hectares. The current figures therefore leave a significant portion of the seasonal acreage to be covered as sowing progresses in cotton-producing states.

An Early-Season Agricultural Snapshot

The July 10 data shows a mixed pattern across India’s kharif crops. Rice, maize, moong, sugarcane, sunflower and jute performed strongly when measured against their normal sowing levels. Pulses, oilseeds, cotton and several millet crops remained below either the previous year’s coverage or their normal planting pace.

The total area of 531.25 lakh hectares represents around 48 per cent of India’s normal full-season kharif acreage of 1,104.46 lakh hectares. Since the figures capture sowing only up to July 10, they serve as a progress report rather than a final assessment of the 2026 season.

The movement of the monsoon, regional rainfall distribution, soil moisture and the availability of suitable sowing windows during the following weeks will shape the eventual crop coverage. The next rounds of official data will provide a clearer picture of whether the current differences narrow as planting advances across the country.

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Source: PIB

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