Rajasthan agri dept sets kharif sowing targets, focus on major millets

Rajasthan boosts kharif targets for millets, guar and soybean, with sowing prospects hinging on monsoon progress and rainfall distribution

The focus for the 2026 kharif season in Rajasthan will be on increasing the yield of major millets, a senior agriculture department official said. The state is also pushing for increased cultivation of guar and soybean.

 

The state agriculture department has released kharif sowing targets, which show lower targets for some millets, pulses and oilseeds. However, actual sowing levels will depend on rainfall conditions.

 

Among major millets, the target area for pearl millet (bajra) has been increased to 4,05,00,000 hectares from the 39,09,000 hectares target set last year. For sorghum (jowar), acreage has increased from 4,98,000 hectares to 6,00,000 hectares. Till the first week of June, only 9 per cent of the targeted bajra sowing had been completed.

   

The department has made only marginal changes to sowing targets compared with 2025, as officials and farmers monitor rainfall patterns. The prospect of El Niño leading to reduced rainfall has added to the uncertainty.

 

“Timely and adequate rainfall would encourage farmers to sow enthusiastically, whereas scanty rainfall would reduce sowing, as most major kharif crops in Rajasthan are rain-fed,” the official said.

 

According to the department’s targets, guar was sown across 24,82,000 hectares in 2025. This year, the target has been raised to 25,50,000 hectares. Till the first week of June, only 3 per cent of the targeted sowing had been completed.

 

Ramotar Khandelwal, a guar trader from Jaipur, said delayed rainfall remains a possibility. If rains are delayed or inadequate, farmers are likely to increase cluster bean sowing, as the crop can be planted later in the season and requires very little water. Rajasthan is India’s largest producer of guar.

 

Among pulse crops, the target acreage for moong has been marginally reduced. Last year, the crop was sown across 26,57,000 hectares, while this year’s target has been set at 26,50,000 hectares.

 

Moong trader Shyam Natani said El Niño could affect kharif sowing in the state. With farmers waiting for rainfall, it is difficult to predict whether actual moong sowing will eventually be higher or lower than last year.

 

Farmers with irrigation facilities have already begun sowing moong despite the lack of rainfall.

 

For groundnuts, target acreage has been reduced from 12,86,000 hectares to 11,50,000 hectares. In contrast, soybean acreage has increased from 9,89,000 hectares to 11,00,000 hectares, while cotton acreage has risen from 6,44,000 hectares to 7,20,000 hectares.

 

The target area for moth beans has been increased from 8,59,000 hectares to 10,00,000 hectares. Maize acreage has been raised from 8,88,000 hectares to 9,70,000 hectares.