Rabi Crops

Rainfall deficit, high temperatures delay rabi sowing in Rajasthan

Low soil moisture and intense heat have prevented farmers from taking up sowing, with only those having access to irrigation facilities able to proceed

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 acre

Govt sets foodgrain target at 374 million tonnes amid El Niño concerns

Chouhan says five states impacted due to drought conditions in 2026 kharif season

El Niño threatens rabi crops, may affect foodgrain output: Agri Secy

Minister Chouhan says teams to visit Maharashtra & Karnataka soon to assess the drought impact

Chouhan urges states to plan rabi sowing based on water availability

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

El Nino threatens rabi crops in rainfed areas, may affect output: Agri secy

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 sector growth dips in FY26 amid decline in current prices

Q4 growth recovers in FY26 due to good rabi harvest, say experts

Heavy rains, hailstorms damage rabi crops in 249,000 hectares: Chouhan

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

Unseasonal rains damage Rabi crops in Rajasthan, farmers worried

Unseasonal rains and hailstorms across Rajasthan have severely damaged Rabi crops, leaving farmers anxious as losses mount and compensation processes begin

Govt hikes arthiyas commission by 10% for Punjab, Haryana wheat procurement

An official statement today announced that the increased rates will apply starting with the forthcoming Rabi marketing season of 2026-27

Centre sets 30.3 million tonnes wheat procurement target for FY27

Government plans to procure 30.3 million tonnes of wheat for the Central Pool in the 2026-27 rabi marketing season beginning April 1

Rabi crop area sees marginal rise; wheat sowing remains flat: Govt data

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

Urea availability row in Rajasthan escalates as farmers queue up

As Rabi sowing nears completion in Rajasthan, farmers queue up for urea, triggering a political row between the state government and the Congress over fertiliser availability

Indian Railways sees increased fertiliser cargo due to record imports

Amid record imports, fertiliser cargo on rail grows 12%

Seeds of hope: Sowing of rabi crops gathers further steam, shows data

Rabi sowing has crossed 39.3 million hectares, with strong gains in pulses and oilseeds as farmers leverage good soil moisture, better seeds and stable MSP cues to diversify beyond wheat

Wheat leads as rabi sowing over in half of normal area, shows data

Data showed that during the week ending November 21, rabi crops were sown in around 30.63 million hectares of land which is 12.32 per cent more than the area covered during the same period last year

Low prices dampen sentiment in rabi sowing season despite good outlook

Things are in place for a good rabi harvest. But farmers must contend with poor prices for their kharif harvest. And that may have a knock-on effect on rabi prices in a vicious cycle

Sowing trend: Wheat acreage rises 129% as of November 7, shows data

Soil moisture substantially improved owing to vigorous post-monsoon showers across many parts of India, which swayed farmers to plant more area under rabi crops to get the best yields

Rabi sowing starts on a positive, crop realisations continue to disappoint

While key inputs such as water, seeds and fertilisers are adequate, the poor price performance of the kharif harvest might dampen farmers earning

Prolonged monsoon delays rabi sowing of wheat, barley in Rajasthan

Mustard has dominated the rabi sowing this year. So far, around 79 per cent of mustard sowing has been completed