Wheat sowing lags at 11,000 ha amid deficient monsoon, irrigation concerns

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 acreage and threaten yields.

Punjab and Rajasthan are particularly exposed, with rainfall deficits of 38 per cent and 22 per cent, respectively, and below-normal reservoir storage at the end of September. The two States together account for about 31 per cent of India's wheat area, so irrigation constraints there could materially affect national sowing.

Experts said rainfed and poorly irrigated areas in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Bundelkhand and parts of central India are also vulnerable, as they cannot easily substitute canal or groundwater irrigation for missing monsoon moisture.

Among other crops, rice acreage was lower at 1.02 lakh hectare as of October 23, against 2.13 lakh hectare a year earlier.

Pulses area stood at 3.27 lakh hectare compared with 4.39 lakh hectare, while oilseeds were sown in 13.38 lakh hectare against 21.34 lakh hectare a year ago.

Coarse cereals area, however, was higher at 23,000 hectare as against 13,000 hectare.

Total rabi crops were sown in 18.02 lakh hectare as of October 23, as against 28.26 lakh hectare in the year-ago period, the data showed.