The latest Kharif 2026 sowing figures indicate significant shifts in the area under major crops across India. Paddy recorded the sharpest decline, with its cultivated area falling by 14.37 lakh hectares compared with the corresponding period last year. Pulses, coarse cereals, oilseeds, sugarcane and cotton also registered declines, while some crops and states reported higher coverage. The figures highlight changing crop patterns across major agricultural states.
The area under paddy has been reported at around 379.07 lakh hectares, compared with 393.44 lakh hectares during the corresponding period last year, marking a decline of 14.37 lakh hectares. The largest reductions were reported from Karnataka (2.86 lakh hectares), Jharkhand (2.26 lakh hectares), Maharashtra (2.25 lakh hectares), Odisha (2.09 lakh hectares), Madhya Pradesh (1.64 lakh hectares), Telangana (1.49 lakh hectares), Tamil Nadu (1.17 lakh hectares) and Andhra Pradesh (1.14 lakh hectares). Paddy coverage also declined in Gujarat, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. In contrast, Assam recorded an increase of 3.93 lakh hectares, while Uttarakhand also reported a modest rise.
Pulses covered around 108.14 lakh hectares, compared with 108.49 lakh hectares last year, representing a marginal decline of 0.35 lakh hectares. Karnataka recorded the largest decline at 4.16 lakh hectares, followed by Maharashtra at 2.70 lakh hectares and Odisha at 0.64 lakh hectares. On the other hand, Uttar Pradesh recorded a significant increase of 4.25 lakh hectares in pulse acreage. Rajasthan added 0.93 lakh hectares, while Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Madhya Pradesh also reported higher coverage.
The area under Shree Anna and coarse cereals stood at 172.96 lakh hectares, compared with 177.13 lakh hectares during the same period last year. This represents a decline of 4.17 lakh hectares. Karnataka recorded the largest reduction at 7 lakh hectares, while Maharashtra, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Gujarat also reported lower coverage.
However, acreage increased in several states. Rajasthan recorded an increase of 2.15 lakh hectares, followed by Chhattisgarh at 1.53 lakh hectares and Madhya Pradesh at 0.92 lakh hectares.
Maize acreage stood at 92.06 lakh hectares, down by 3.67 lakh hectares from the previous year's corresponding figure. While maize and ragi recorded declines, jowar and bajra registered marginal increases in area coverage.
Oilseed Acreage Shows a Marginal Decline:
The area under oilseeds stood at 184.46 lakh hectares, compared with 185.36 lakh hectares last year, registering a decline of 0.89 lakh hectares. Rajasthan recorded the largest reduction at 3.40 lakh hectares, while Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Odisha also reported lower acreage. In contrast, Uttar Pradesh recorded an increase of 3.89 lakh hectares, while Madhya Pradesh saw oilseed coverage rise by 0.68 lakh hectares.
Major Oilseed Crops:
Sugarcane Acreage Down by 0.31 Lakh Hectares:
Sugarcane coverage stood at 58.31 lakh hectares, compared with 58.62 lakh hectares last year, reflecting a decline of 0.31 lakh hectares. Uttarakhand, Maharashtra, Punjab and Madhya Pradesh reported lower sugarcane acreage. Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh recorded an increase of 0.36 lakh hectares, while Haryana saw a rise of 0.11 lakh hectares.
Cotton Area Declines by 0.96 Lakh Hectares:
Cotton acreage was reported at 107.30 lakh hectares, compared with 108.26 lakh hectares during the corresponding period last year. This represents a decline of 0.96 lakh hectares. The major reductions were recorded in Rajasthan (1.09 lakh hectares), Haryana (0.90 lakh hectares), Punjab (0.43 lakh hectares) and Maharashtra (0.38 lakh hectares). However, Telangana recorded a significant increase of 1.25 lakh hectares, followed by Gujarat with 0.64 lakh hectares and Madhya Pradesh with 0.11 lakh hectares.
FAQs:
1. How much did paddy area decline in Kharif 2026?
Paddy acreage declined by 14.37 lakh hectares compared with the corresponding period last year.
2. What happened to pulse acreage?
Pulse coverage declined marginally by 0.35 lakh hectares to 108.14 lakh hectares.
3. Did maize acreage increase or decrease?
Maize acreage decreased by 3.67 lakh hectares and stood at 92.06 lakh hectares.
4. What happened to oilseed acreage?
Oilseed coverage declined by 0.89 lakh hectares to 184.46 lakh hectares.
5. Did cotton acreage increase in any major state?
Yes. Telangana recorded the biggest increase, with cotton acreage rising by 1.25 lakh hectares.
