India’s kharif sowing reached 658.19 lakh hectares as of July 17, a fall of 42.28 lakh hectares or 6.04% compared with the 700.47 lakh hectares sown in the same period last year.
The kharif season starts with the southwest monsoon and ends with the harvest later in the year. It is closely watched because it affects food supply, inflation and rural incomes.
Rice, the largest kharif crop, covered 166.41 lakh hectares, just 1.41 lakh hectares less than the 167.83 lakh hectares sown last year, a 0.84% drop. This small decline keeps the rice supply relatively stable.
Pulses fell sharply to 69.23 lakh hectares from 81.52 lakh hectares, a loss of 12.29 lakh hectares or 15.08%. Arhar saw a 17.78% drop to 24.80 lakh hectares, moongbean fell 11.02% and urdbean declined 5.92%.
Coarse cereals also trailed last year, covering 119.03 lakh hectares versus 134.09 lakh hectares, a decrease of 15.06 lakh hectares or 11.23%. Bajra fell 18.50% to 39.98 lakh hectares, while maize declined 5.05% to 67.89 lakh hectares.
Oilseed acreage was 147.09 lakh hectares, down from 155.72 lakh hectares, a 5.54% drop. Soybean acreage fell 4.53% to 106.02 lakh hectares, and groundnut sowing fell 8.41% to 34.52 lakh hectares.
Not all crops declined. Sugarcane grew 1.52% to 57.58 lakh hectares, and jute and mesta rose 2.10% to 6.32 lakh hectares. Cotton, however, fell 5.97% to 92.53 lakh hectares.
The current figures do not guarantee final production, as planting can continue in many regions depending on monsoon progress.
The 6.04% shortfall in total acreage is a key indicator. The sharper falls in pulses, coarse cereals and oilseeds are especially concerning, while stable rice acreage offers some buffer for the foodgrain outlook. Upcoming weeks will be crucial as farmers finish sowing and the monsoon shapes the final kharif harvest.