India’s total area under kharif crops reached 787.37 lakh hectares as of July 24, 2026, according to data released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. The corresponding coverage at the same stage of the 2025 season stood at 826.19 lakh hectares, indicating a year-on-year decline of 38.82 lakh hectares, or approximately 4.7 per cent.
The figures provide a mid-season assessment of sowing activity and should not be viewed as the final acreage for the 2026 kharif season. Planting remains under way in several regions, and the final cultivated area will depend on the geographical distribution of rainfall, soil moisture, availability of irrigation and the pace at which farmers complete sowing operations.
Coarse Cereals Account for Largest Decline
The most significant reduction was recorded in the Shri Anna and coarse cereals category, where coverage stood at 142.21 lakh hectares, compared with 161.49 lakh hectares during the corresponding period of 2025. The category registered a decline of 19.28 lakh hectares, equivalent to nearly 11.9 per cent.
Within this group, bajra sowing declined from 58.08 lakh hectares to 49.54 lakh hectares, while maize acreage fell from 86.15 lakh hectares to 77.79 lakh hectares. Jowar coverage stood at 11.07 lakh hectares, compared with 12.45 lakh hectares last year. Ragi and small millet cultivation also remained below the previous season’s corresponding levels.
Despite the current gap, coarse cereal coverage has already reached a substantial portion of the five-year normal area of 182.63 lakh hectares. Further sowing progress could narrow the difference as the monsoon season advances.
Rice and Pulses Remain Below 2025 Levels
Rice, the country’s principal kharif foodgrain crop, covered 234.43 lakh hectares by July 24. This was 6.19 lakh hectares below the 240.62 lakh hectares reported during the same period in 2025. The five-year normal rice area is estimated at 412 lakh hectares, while the final coverage during 2025 reached 446.70 lakh hectares.
Total pulse acreage stood at 84.57 lakh hectares, compared with 91.46 lakh hectares a year earlier, representing a decline of 6.90 lakh hectares.
Arhar or tur acreage declined from 35.27 lakh hectares to 31.17 lakh hectares, while moongbean coverage fell from 28.39 lakh hectares to 26.89 lakh hectares. Mothbean sowing also dropped by 2.60 lakh hectares.
Urdbean emerged as a positive exception within the pulse category. Its cultivated area increased by 1.39 lakh hectares to reach 18.67 lakh hectares, compared with 17.27 lakh hectares during the corresponding period of 2025. Kulthi acreage also registered a modest increase.
Oilseed Coverage Shows Moderate Reduction
Oilseed sowing reached 163.54 lakh hectares, marginally below the 167 lakh hectares recorded at the same stage last year. The year-on-year difference stood at 3.45 lakh hectares, or approximately 2.1 per cent.
Soybean accounted for most of the reduction, with coverage declining from 117.24 lakh hectares to 113.65 lakh hectares. Groundnut acreage stood at 40.20 lakh hectares, compared with 40.77 lakh hectares in 2025.
Some smaller oilseed crops recorded improved coverage. Sesamum acreage rose by 0.62 lakh hectares to 8.03 lakh hectares, while sunflower cultivation increased from 0.55 lakh hectares to 0.89 lakh hectares.
Sugarcane and Jute Record Higher Coverage
Sugarcane was among the major crops that registered an increase. Its cultivated area reached 57.58 lakh hectares, up from 56.72 lakh hectares during the corresponding period last year. Current sugarcane coverage has also exceeded the five-year normal area of 54.20 lakh hectares.
The area under jute and mesta increased from 6.19 lakh hectares to 6.32 lakh hectares. This was close to the normal area of 6.40 lakh hectares and slightly above the final coverage of 6.06 lakh hectares reported for 2025.
Cotton sowing, however, remained lower at 98.72 lakh hectares, compared with 102.71 lakh hectares in 2025. The crop registered a decline of 3.99 lakh hectares and remained below its five-year normal area of 125.51 lakh hectares.
Sowing Progress Remains Crucial for Food and Raw-Material Supply
The latest figures show that India’s 2026 kharif sowing season was moving at a slower aggregate pace than the previous year as of July 24. Most of the overall difference came from coarse cereals, pulses, rice and cotton, while sugarcane, jute, urdbean, sesamum and sunflower recorded improved coverage.
The coming weeks will remain important for completing the sowing of rice, pulses, maize, millets, oilseeds and cotton. A recovery in cultivated area would strengthen the outlook for foodgrain availability, edible-oil production, livestock-feed supplies and agricultural raw materials during the 2026–27 crop year.
Since the figures represent area coverage rather than crop output, final production will also depend on rainfall distribution, crop health, pest incidence, input availability and yields during the remainder of the growing season.
Source: PIB
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