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
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
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
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
While key inputs such as water, seeds and fertilisers are adequate, the poor price performance of the kharif harvest might dampen farmers earning
Mustard has dominated the rabi sowing this year. So far, around 79 per cent of mustard sowing has been completed
Good rainfall and soil moisture drive farmers in Rajasthan to shift from wheat to mustard and gram this Rabi season, with acreage for both crops set to rise.
The government on Wednesday announced a 6.59 per cent increase in the minimum support price (MSP) for wheat to Rs 2,585 per quintal for the 2026-27 marketing year, up from Rs 2,425 per quintal last year. The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Briefing the media, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the Cabinet had approved the MSP for six rabi crops for 2026-27 based on recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP). In absolute terms, the highest increase has been announced for safflower at Rs 600 per quintal, followed by lentil (masur) at Rs 300 per quintal. For rapeseed and mustard, the increase is Rs 250 per quintal; gram Rs 225 per quintal; barley Rs 170 per quintal; and wheat Rs 160 per quintal. The MSP for barley has been increased to Rs 2,150 per quintal from Rs 1,980 per quintal. Among key rabi pulses, the support price for gram has been fixed at Rs 5,875 per quintal, up from
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
Mustard crop, an indigenous oilseed grown in Rabi season, can play an important role in achieving self-sufficiency in domestic output of edible oils and there is a need to increase acreage, promote use of high-yielding seed varieties and provide assured prices to farmers to boost yield and production, according to industry experts. According to the latest government data, India's rapeseed and mustard production stood at 126.06 lakh tonnes in 2024-25 crop year (July-June) with acreage of 86.29 lakh hectares and an average yield of 1,461 kg per hectare. The area and production have declined from 2023-24 when acreage was 91.83 lakh hectares while output was 132.59 lakh tonnes. Puri Oil Mills Ltd Managing Director Vivek Puri said, "The idea that mustard oil should play a vital role in bridging the edible oil demand-supply gap and in reducing import dependency is an integral part of our company's vision." He noted that there is a huge scope to expand mustard cultivation as well as yield
The Haryana government on Wednesday said it has raised limits of average production per acre for Rabi crops for 2024-25, a move which will enable farmers to sell more yields at a minimum support price. The revised limits will be implemented in the Rabi procurement season of 2025-26. The move will directly benefit farmers who, due to higher yields than the previously set limits, were unable to sell their crops at the minimum support price (MSP), an official statement said. Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini approved the increased caps after a committee set up by the government recommend changes in the production limits for Rabi crops. The average production cap for barley has been increased from 15 quintals to 16 quintals per acre, for gram it has been raised from 5 quintals to 6 quintals per acre, while for sunflower from 8 quintals to 9 quintals per acre. In addition, the average production limit for summer moong crop has been raised from 3 quintals to 4 quintals per acre. The ...
Wheat production in the state this year may remain almost equal to last year. Barley and gram production may rise while mustard is expected to go down, according to estimates
Area sown to wheat rose 2.77 per cent to Rs 324.38 lakh hectares so far in the ongoing 2024-25 rabi season, while oilseeds acreage remained lower, according to the agriculture ministry data released on Monday. Sowing of wheat, the main rabi (winter) crop, is completed and the harvesting will begin from April. As per the data, wheat acreage increased to 324.38 lakh hectare as on January 27 from 315.63 lakh hectares in the year-ago. Area sown to pulses rose to 142.49 lakh hectares from 139.29 lakh hectares, while sowing of coarse cereals remained flat at 55.67 lakh hectares so far this rabi season. However, total area under oilseeds remained lower at 98.18 lakh hectares as on January 27 as against 108.52 lakh hectares in the year-ago period. Total area sown to rabi crops rose to 655.88 lakh hectares from 643.72 lakh hectares in the said period.
The rains, as per the India Meteorological Department (IMD), were fairly widespread and extended right up to north-west and central India
Wheat markets are also anticipating a decision on imports in the near future if prices continue to remain high
Up to 6 per cent of all calls, 2 per cent of SMS noted as spam on the Airtel network
The drop in mustard acreage could be attributed to low price realisation by oilseed farmers, especially those growing soybean and groundnut in the kharif season
The MSP increase is aimed at providing a safety net for farmers, amidst a "moderation" in inflation, while the DA hike is expected to benefit around 4.91 million employees and 6.48 million pensioners
The highest MSP hike was given to Rapeseed and Mustard, with a rise of Rs 300 per quintal (from Rs 5,650 to Rs 5,950), followed by Lentil (Masur), which saw an increase of Rs 275 per quintal
The policy remains open-ended on the future possibility of rate cut, which sounds reasonable given that the future course of inflation is hard to gauge