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Rabi Crops
Sowing of rabi crops, including wheat, has fallen sharply behind last year's pace, with the area covered down 46 per cent at 37.56 lakh hectare as of October 30, compared to 69.02 lakh hectare in the same period a year ago, according to data released by the Union Agriculture Ministry. Wheat, the principal rabi crop, was sown over just 19,000 hectare, against 3.34 lakh hectare last year, a shortfall attributed to insufficient soil moisture. The crop is usually sown in October-November and harvested in March-April. In the 2025-26 crop year (July-June), wheat was planted on 336 lakh hectare. According to the weekly data, area under pulses stood at 9.45 lakh hectare, down from 19.56 lakh hectare. Gram acreage fell to 5.90 lakh hectare from 14.35 lakh hectare. Oilseeds were sown over 20.97 lakh hectare, compared to 38.62 lakh hectare a year ago. Within this, rapeseed and mustard covered 20.50 lakh hectare, against 38.07 lakh hectare. Coarse cereals were sown over 3.78 lakh hectare, ..
Wheat sowing has just commenced in a few states, with coverage at 11,000 hectare so far, against 27,000 hectare in the year-ago period, amid a deficient southwest monsoon, according to Agriculture Ministry data. "Wheat sowing has just commenced in a few states," the ministry said while releasing the sowing data as of October 23. Wheat, a major rabi crop, is generally sown in October-November and harvested in March-April. The crop was sown in 336 lakh hectare in the 2025-26 crop year (July-June). The ministry has set a wheat production target of 121 million tonnes for the 2026-27 crop year, following a record output of 120.7 million tonnes in the previous year. The southwest monsoon (June-September) was 13 per cent deficient as per the Met Department. A weak monsoon leaves less residual soil moisture and lower water levels in reservoirs and canals at the start of the rabi season. Since wheat needs several rounds of irrigation after sowing, poor rains can delay planting, reduce acre
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday asked state governments to approach the upcoming rabi season with scientific planning, keeping in mind the drought and water scarcity that some regions faced during the just-concluded kharif season due to climate change. Addressing a two-day national conference on preparedness for the rabi (winter) season, Chouhan said, "When we speak of the Rabi season, we must also consider the Kharif season, which caused great concern because of climate change. Weather patterns have shifted." He said kharif crops had been affected in places, though they had not failed everywhere. "In many places the crop is very good, but there is a threat of drought and water scarcity in some regions," he said, adding that rainfall had been excellent in some areas and below average in others. "I urge state officials to approach Rabi planning scientifically by assessing water availability and soil moisture in specific regions and making advance arrangemen
The upcoming rabi (winter) season is likely to be challenging for rainfed areas due to the El Nino weather pattern, and foodgrain production could be affected, Agriculture Secretary Atish Chandra said on Monday. Addressing a two-day national conference on preparedness for the rabi season, Chandra said the kharif season was also very challenging, particularly in rainfed areas. Several States struggled first to achieve crop coverage and later to ensure that the crops survived. Sowing of rabi crops such as wheat and mustard begins in October. "We are seeing that in the coming season, production is likely to be affected to a large extent. And the rabi season will also be challenging for the rainfed areas," he said. Chandra said some states could face the problem of excess soil moisture, while areas with deficient rainfall may see prolonged periods of stress. Strategies need to be calibrated accordingly for the rabi season, he added. Calling climate change a reality, he said even irri
Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday said unseasonal rainfall and hailstorms have damaged standing rabi crops, particularly wheat, across approximately 2.49 lakh hectares so far across several states, with the full extent of losses still being assessed by multiple agencies. "The assessment of the crop damage is still underway. The assessment is being done by three different departments," Chouhan told reporters ahead of the launch of "Unnat Krishi Mela" in Raisen district of Madhya Pradesh. He noted that the wheat crop has suffered the maximum damage, followed by horticulture crops. The figure of 2.49 lakh hectares pertains to damage reported till April 8. Chouhan assured farmers that the Narendra Modi government stands with them in this hour of crisis. On April 5, Chouhan had directed ministry officials to conduct a comprehensive review of crop losses in the affected states and coordinate with state governments to gather ground-level information. The Minister also
Wheat sowing remained flat at 32.26 million hectares in the ongoing 2024-25 rabi season, while area under pulses and oilseeds rose marginally from a year earlier, agriculture ministry data showed. Wheat, the main rabi or winter crop, was sown in 32.24 million hectares a year ago. The total wheat area stood at 32.8 million hectares in the 2023-24 rabi season. Sowing of wheat and other rabi crops begins in October, with harvesting starting in March. Planting of wheat and other major rabi crops is nearly complete. Rice sowing rose marginally to 1.49 million hectares as of December 26 in the 2025-26 rabi season from 1.30 million hectares in the year-ago period, the data showed. Rice covered 4.47 million hectares in the previous rabi season. Area under pulses reached 13.34 million hectares so far this rabi season, nearing the total area of 13.40 million hectares achieved in the entire rabi season last year. While area sown to chickpea, lentil and green gram surpassed last year's total