Ministry of Agriculture Kharif 2026 Sowing Progress Report
The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare released the progress of area coverage under Kharif crops as on July 17, 2026, showing a significant decline in overall sowing compared to the same period last year. The total area sown stands at 658.19 lakh hectares, representing a decrease of 42.28 lakh hectares from the 700.47 lakh hectares covered during the corresponding period in 2025.
Crop-wise Sowing Performance
Rice cultivation shows a marginal decline with 166.41 lakh hectares sown compared to 167.83 lakh hectares in 2025, a decrease of 1.41 lakh hectares. The normal area for rice is 412.00 lakh hectares while the final coverage in 2025 was 446.70 lakh hectares.
Pulses have experienced a substantial reduction in sowing area, totaling 69.23 lakh hectares versus 81.52 lakh hectares in 2025, a decline of 12.29 lakh hectares. Within pulses, Arhar decreased by 5.36 lakh hectares to 24.80 lakh hectares, Urd bean declined by 0.85 lakh hectares to 13.51 lakh hectares, and Moong bean reduced by 2.97 lakh hectares to 23.98 lakh hectares. Moth bean showed the largest percentage decline among pulses, dropping by 2.87 lakh hectares to 4.62 lakh hectares.
Coarse cereals cum Shri Anna category recorded significant reduction with 119.03 lakh hectares sown compared to 134.09 lakh hectares in 2025, a decrease of 15.06 lakh hectares. Bajra showed the largest absolute decline among cereals, decreasing by 9.08 lakh hectares to 39.98 lakh hectares. Maize decreased by 3.61 lakh hectares to 67.89 lakh hectares, while Jowar declined by 1.25 lakh hectares to 8.74 lakh hectares.
Oilseeds sowing stands at 147.09 lakh hectares, down 8.63 lakh hectares from 155.72 lakh hectares in 2025. Groundnut decreased by 3.17 lakh hectares to 34.52 lakh hectares, while Soybean, the largest oilseed crop, declined by 5.02 lakh hectares to 106.02 lakh hectares. Sesamum reduced by 0.84 lakh hectares to 5.12 lakh hectares.
Positive Performances
Sugarcane showed a marginal increase of 0.86 lakh hectares to 57.58 lakh hectares compared to 56.72 lakh hectares in 2025. Jute & Mesta also increased slightly by 0.13 lakh hectares to 6.32 lakh hectares. Among minor crops, Sunflower increased by 0.34 lakh hectares to 0.88 lakh hectares, and Niger showed a small increase of 0.05 lakh hectares to 0.08 lakh hectares.
Cotton sowing area decreased by 5.87 lakh hectares to 92.53 lakh hectares compared to 98.40 lakh hectares in the previous year. The data indicates widespread reduction in Kharif sowing across most major crop categories as of mid-July 2026.