Kharif Crops

Active monsoon phase may narrow kharif sowing gap after weak June

An active southwest monsoon is expected to accelerate kharif sowing after a weak June, helping narrow the rainfall deficit and support crop prospects

El Niño threat: Which crops face the biggest risk from weak monsoon?

If rains are less in the central and western parts of the country, where irrigation coverage is lower than the national average, the impact on oilseeds and pulses could be more

Kharif sowing slumps 23% amid delayed monsoon, paddy acreage falls sharply

Sowing of kharif crops including paddy is lagging significantly in the country, with total acreage at 182.72 lakh hectares as of June, down 23 per cent compared to 236.46 lakh hectares a year earlier, amid delayed onset and sluggish progress of the southwest monsoon, according to agriculture ministry data. Not only rice but also pulses, oilseeds, coarse cereals and cotton have seen lower sowing than the year-ago period. Sowing of kharif crops normally begins with the onset of southwest monsoon from June. According to the latest data, paddy acreage -- the main kharif crop -- was down 25.17 per cent at 25.75 lakh hectares as on June 25, against 34.41 lakh hectares last year. Pulses sowing lagged by 30.47 per cent at 14.92 lakh hectares versus 21.46 lakh hectares, while oilseeds area plunged 53.33 per cent to 16.99 lakh hectares from 36.41 lakh hectares. Among pulses, tur/arhar sowing stood at 3.56 lakh hectares against 8.45 lakh hectares. In oilseeds, groundnut area fell to 8.87 la

India scales down kharif 2026 fertiliser requirement to 38.39 mn tonnes

India currently has around 19.98 million tonnes of fertilisers in stock, which means it has almost 52 per cent of the total reassessed requirement in stock as of today

Govt fully prepared for El Nino impact on kharif crops: Shivraj Singh

The Centre is fully prepared to mitigate any adverse impact of the El Nino weather phenomenon on this year's kharif crop, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Thursday, as he called for integrated farming and greater self-reliance in pulses and oilseeds. "Rather than worrying, preparation is required. Contingency plans will be made for affected districts and crop changes will be considered wherever necessary," Chouhan told reporters on the sidelines of the two-day National Kharif Conference here. The Ministry is in the process of identifying districts for alternative crops and ensuring seed availability in the event of an El Nino impact, he said. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had, in its first-stage forecast on April 13, projected a below-normal southwest monsoon for 2026, with rainfall likely to be around 92 per cent of the long-period average. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has indicated a probable return of El Nino conditions as early

Govt hikes paddy MSP by ₹72 per quintal and sunflower seed by ₹622

Cabinet raises MSPs for kharif crops for 2026-27, with sharper increases for oilseeds, pulses and cotton to encourage diversification and cut imports

Farm sector GVA up 3.5% in Q2, collapses in nominal terms on low inflation

Agriculture was expected to do well and growth at 3.5 per cent is supported by a good kharif harvest expected, which will reflect more in Q3, said Madan Sabnavis

Shah assures Centre's aid to Maharashtra as floods hit 6 mn hectares crops

Home Minister Amit Shah says the Centre will extend all assistance to farmers after heavy rains and floods damaged standing crops on 6 million hectares of farmland across Maharashtra

Heavy rainfall hits Kharif crops in Rajasthan in the last fortnight

Major crops such as moong, bajra, maize, soybean, groundnut, and cotton are most impacted

Scanty monsoon rainfall fans crop loss fear among farmers in Rajasthan

Lack of rainfall is likely to damage the most important crops, guar, and pearl millet (bajra)

Higher MSP, import curbs help moong acreage surpass last year's level

Some traders said the sowing trend clearly shows that farmers feel zero-duty imports could hurt their realisations in the coming months while it might not be the case with moong

Goa to roll out new salt-tolerant paddy variety for 2026 kharif season

Goa's latest paddy seed variety, which offers improved resilience against salinity, waterlogging, and crop lodging, is likely to be released for large-scale cultivation in the Kharif season 2026, state Agriculture Minister Ravi Naik has said. In a written reply in the legislative assembly on Friday, Naik said that the new variety is currently in its second year of on-farm trials and has already shown promising results in demonstration plots under the Minikit Programme. He was responding to a question by independent MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco. According to the data furnished by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Goa Dhan-5 was developed to build on the performance of earlier salt-tolerant varieties Goa Dhan-1 and Dhan-2 released in 2017, and Dhan-3 and Dhan-4 released in 2019, the minister said. Naik said that while the first four Dhan varieties are tolerant to saline conditions, Goa Dhan-5 stands out for its added resistance to waterlogging and complete or partial ...

PM tells farmers to ask scientists questions to clear doubts on agri issues

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the 'Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan' provides a unique opportunity for farmers across the country to clear their doubts and ask questions to agricultural scientists who visit their areas during the campaign. Modi said this in a video message which was played at a programme held at the Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology and attended by Union Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, scientists, farmers and others. Speaking on the 'Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan' which was launched on May 29, the Prime Minister said that the farmers across 700 districts of the country, will get the opportunity to clear their doubts when preparing to start kharif crop cultivation after the onset of the Monsoon. He said over 2,000 teams of agricultural scientists and experts will visit villages (from May 29 to June 12) in a mission mode as part of his vision of "Lab to Land" and the .

Cabinet approves hike in paddy MSP by ₹69 per quintal for Kharif season

The Cabinet has approved an MSP hike for paddy to ₹2,369/quintal for Kharif 2025-26, aiming to secure better returns for farmers and promote agricultural resilience

40% of kharif crops may suffer due to excessive rain in Rajasthan

Kookarkheda trader Ramavtar Khandelwal informed that among major kharif crops, guar is assuming a loss of 30 to 50 per cent and 40 to 50 per cent loss in Moong

Urad, moong sowing area rise during week ended Sept 6, shows data

Overall, kharif crops have so far been planted in 109.23 million hectares of land, which is higher than the 106.92 million hectares planted during the same period last year

Govt's kharif rice procurement target 5% higher at 48.5 mn tonnes in FY25

The Centre has fixed kharif rice procurement target at 485 lakh tonnes for the 2024-25 marketing year starting October and asked states to focus on increasing purchases of coarse cereals. In the current 2023-24 marketing year (October-September), the government procured 463 lakh tonnes of kharif rice. Paddy is grown in both kharif and rabi seasons. State-owned Food Corporation of India (FCI) is the government's nodal agency for procurement and distribution of foodgrains. Union Food Secretary on Friday chaired a meeting with State Food Secretaries and FCI to "discuss arrangements for procurement of crops in ensuing Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2024-25", an official statement said. Various factors impacting procurement such as weather forecast, production estimates, and readiness of states for procurement operations were reviewed during the meeting. "After deliberations, the estimates for paddy procurement (Kharif crop) during ensuing KMS 2024-25 have been fixed at 485 lakh tonnes

Kharif sowing over in 64% of normal area till July 19, shows data

Normal area is the average area for the last five years

Govt should boost Green Revolution 2.0 for less water-intensive crops: GTRI

India needs to usher in Green Revolution 2.0 with a view to promote farming of less water-intensive crops such as pulses and oil seeds and discourage free power for the agri sector, economic think tank GTRI said on Thursday. There is a need to "promote less water-intensive crops like pulses, oil seeds, and vegetables that can significantly reduce water demand and the government can guarantee MSP (minimum support price) on these crops," the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) report said. It said that awareness among farmers should be increased about adopting water-saving technologies such as drip irrigation, laser land levelling, training on water-efficient techniques and precision agriculture to improve water use efficiency. It also suggested ending free electricity for agriculture and introducing water pricing mechanisms that can discourage overuse and encourage conservation, besides educating farmers about the long-term consequences of unsustainable practices. These ...

Can allied sectors save agriculture from the blushes in FY24?

The uneven southwest monsoon ensured that production of almost all kharif crops was down in 2023-24