Kharif

Centre assures adequate Kharif inputs, urges states to curb hoarding

The Centre on Wednesday asserted that the country has an adequate supply of seeds and agro-chemicals for the upcoming Kharif season, and asked states to check hoarding, black marketing, smuggling and diversion of fertilisers for non-farm usage. Addressing an inter-ministerial briefing on recent developments in West Asia, Maninder Kaur Dwivedi, Additional Secretary in the Agriculture Ministry, said, "The most important input is seeds. There is an adequate availability of seeds for the upcoming Kharif (summer-sown) sowing season". She said the total estimated requirement of seeds for the Kharif 2026 is 166.46 lakh quintals, while the availability is 185.74 lakh tonnes. So, there is a surplus of 19.29 lakh tonnes. Dwivedi noted that there is enough supply of seeds for all major crops. She said the total availability of seeds for paddy crop is 80.9 lakh quintals, soyabean 35.7 lakh quintals, groundnut 21.1 lakh quintals, and maize 11.9 lakh quintals. The availability of seeds is ...

India fast-tracks fertiliser imports amid West Asia crisis: Govt sources

India has fast-tracked fertiliser imports to safeguard supplies for the kharif sowing season as the West Asia crisis disrupts gas shipments, and shipping routes, government sources said on Saturday. India has brought forward a global tender for urea imports and ordered 13.5 lakh tonnes of fertiliser by mid-February. About 90 per cent of this order is expected to arrive by the end of March, the sources said. Urea, India's most consumed and heavily subsidised fertiliser, is produced domestically at around 30-31 million tonnes annually, with imports of 6-10 million tonnes bridging demand shortfalls. Production is heavily dependent on natural gas. India also imports phosphatic fertilisers, including Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) and NPK compounds. A five-year supply contract with Saudi Arabia for 3 million tonnes of DAP remains intact with "no force majeure," the sources said. Supplies of urea, DAP and NPK from Russia and Morocco are flowing uninterrupted via the Cape of Good Hope ...

India's rice output may hit record high of 124 mt in 2025 kharif season

The first advance estimate pegs India's 2025-26 kharif rice output at 124.50 mt while total foodgrains production is projected to rise to 173.33 mt despite localised weather damage

Rajasthan approves input subsidy for 763k farmers hit by excessive rain

The Rajasthan government has approved agricultural input subsidy for 7.63 lakh farmers affected by excessive rainfall during the 2025 Kharif season, an official statement said on Friday. The decision, taken under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma, aims to provide relief to farmers whose crops suffered damage due to natural calamities, the statement said. According to the order, crops with losses exceeding 33 per cent due to heavy rainfall have been identified across 43 tehsils in six districts, covering 3,777 villages declared as disaster-affected based on girdawari (crop loss assessment). "In these 3,777 villages, around 7.63 lakh farmers will receive agricultural input subsidy from the State Disaster Relief Fund," the statement said. The affected villages include 1,597 in Jhalawar, 1,197 in Tonk, 534 in Bundi, 349 in Bharatpur, 58 in Deeg, and 42 in Dholpur district. The government said final reports of crop loss from other districts are being compiled, and appro

Centre approves procurement of major kharif pulses, oilseeds in UP, Gujarat

Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday approved procurement of major Kharif pulses and oilseeds from Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat this year. A decision in this regard was taken in a virtual meeting with Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat Agriculture Ministers Surya Pratap Shahi and Raghavji Patel, respectively. In the meeting, the central government agreed to procure in Uttar Pradesh, about 2.27 lakh tonnes of urad (black gram), 1.13 lakh tonnes of tur, 1,983 tonnes of moong (green gram), 30,410 tonnes of sesame and 99,438 tonnes of groundnut, an official statement said. In Gujarat, the Centre agreed to buy 47,780 tonnes of urad, 4,415 tonnes of moong, 1.09 lakh tonnes of soyabean, and 12.62 lakh tonnes of groundnut. "Chouhan stated that the approved quantities may be revised as needed after the release of the first advance estimates for Kharif 2025-26, ensuring maximum benefit to farmers," the statement said. Every eligible farmer will get the right to sell the crop at the ...

La Nina, October rain: What it means for kharif harvest, early rabi sowing

While the monsoons have helped the kharif crop, any extra rains through September and October could adversely impact the standing crop, while a harsh winter due to La Nina could affect perishables

Kharif foodgrain 2025-26 output likely to cross 171.39 MT target: Govt

The county's kharif foodgrain production is likely to surpass the government's target of 171.39 million tonne set for the 2025-26 crop year (July-June) buoyed by higher coverage and favourable monsoon rains, Agriculture Commissioner P K Singh said on Monday. Despite lower coverage, the prospects for oilseeds and pulses crops remain positive as productivity is expected to be higher due to good crop conditions, he said. Speaking to PTI, Singh said damage to crops due to flood and heavy rainfall was minimal compared to the overall sown area in the kharif season. "The crop condition is good and the overall (kharif foodgrain) production will be more than the targets that we have kept for this year," Singh said on the sidelines of a conference organised by the Biological Agri Solutions Association of India (BSAI). Kharif crops coverage has exceeded that of previous years, rising to more than 110 million hectares from the usual 109.5 million hectares in recent years, driven by increased .

Kharif sowing increases 2% so far this year; oilseeds lag behind last year

Total area sown to paddy rose marginally by 2 per cent to 438.51 lakh hectares so far in the ongoing 2025-26 kharif (summer) season, but oilseeds acreage was lagging behind, according to agriculture ministry data released on Monday. Paddy, the main kharif crop, was sown in about 430.06 lakh hectare in the year-ago period. The sowing began with the onset of southwest monsoon in June. As per the ministry data, pulses acreage grew slightly to 118.06 lakh hectare, as against 117.25 lakh hectare in the year-ago period. However, tur and moong acreage was lagging behind. In case of oilseeds, the total area was lagging behind at 188.81 lakh hectare as against 193.93 lakh hectare in the year-ago period. Soybean and sesamum acreage remained lower so far in the ongoing kharif season. However, area sown to coarse cereals rose marginally to 192.91 lakh hectare so far this year, from 180.75 lakh hectare in the year-ago period. Among cash crops, sugarcane acreage was slightly higher at 57.31 lak

Late monsoon rains threaten kharif crop yields despite higher acreage

Normal acreage is the average area covered in the last five years

From boon to bane: How monsoon 2025 is turning into a nightmare for many

Above-normal monsoon this year has seen surge in kharif planting, driving up fertiliser demand, but heavy rains in northern states have also ruined standing crops, while floods have killed hundreds

Urea, DAP availability at comfortable levels for kharif season, says govt

Clarification comes amid concerns of a massive shortage of urea and DAP across India

Pests, viral diseases threaten standing kharif crops, push up chemicals use

An increase in monsoon activity and resultant humidity has seen a significant proliferation of pests and viruses across states and crops, leading to greater application of chemicals

Why are paddy and maize acreages seeing a big jump this kharif?

Better prices above MSP, coupled with demand from ethanol producers for their fuel-blending programme, are pushing the popularity of maize

Domestic DAP makers take a lesser hit than importers amid price surge

Price of raw materials used by local players has not spiked

Govt to undertake crop-wise planning to boost yields starting with soybean

Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan says crop-wise reviews will begin with soybean in MP as kharif sowing surges 10 per cent above last year's acreage

Kharif sowing up 10% till June 20 as south-west monsoon gathers pace

The rains have now become vigorous over the main pulses and oilseeds growing in the central and western parts of the country which should further assist in their early planting

Monsoon revival to give impetus to kharif sowing, shows IMD data

With the southwest monsoon expected to pick up pace in the coming weeks, sowing should gather more steam

Wheat acreage matches normal area, raising hopes of regular harvest

With the weather expected to turn cold in north India and a forecast of mild showers, it should augur well for the standing crop

Farm profits to be higher this kharif season due to higher output: Study

The report said that region-wise farm profitability in the northern belt was expected to be relatively better than in the southern belt, while the eastern and western belts presented a mixed bag

Tracking the fields: Kharif acreage surpasses 5-year average, shows data

Sowing for most crops is complete, and the final harvest of some is either entering or about to enter the markets in the coming weeks, traders said