COMMODITY
Area sown under paddy declines so far in ongoing 2026 kharif season
Sep-09-2026

The Agriculture Ministry data has showed that total area sown under paddy is running 3.71 per cent lower at 421.82 lakh hectares (ha) so far (as on September 4) in the ongoing 2026 kharif season, against 438.19 lakh ha a year ago, mainly on account of lower coverage in Karnataka and Telangana. The biggest shortfalls were reported in Karnataka (4.28 lakh ha), Andhra Pradesh (1.91 lakh ha), Telangana (3.61 lakh ha), Jharkhand (1.38 lakh ha), Uttar Pradesh (1.84 lakh ha), Madhya Pradesh (1.75 lakh ha), Tamil Nadu (1.32 lakh ha) and Maharashtra (1.15 lakh ha). However, Assam (0.52 lakh ha) and Odisha (0.29 lakh ha) posted higher acreage.

The Centre has set a procurement target of 708.64 lakh tonnes for paddy grown this kharif season. A marginal dip in coverage is unlikely to be a concern given adequate rice stocks with the government. However, the bigger worry is the acreage under pulses and oilseeds, for which India depends significantly on imports to bridge domestic shortfalls. Pulses sowing has improved, edging past last year's level to 117.13 lakh ha as on September 4, compared with 115.30 lakh ha a year earlier. Tur acreage rose marginally to 45.66 lakh ha from 44.93 lakh ha, while urad area increased to 25.15 lakh ha from 22.46 lakh ha over the same period. Moong acreage, though, was lower at 33.19 lakh ha. The largest gains in pulses coverage came from Uttar Pradesh (3.97 lakh ha), Jharkhand (0.98 lakh ha) and Telangana (0.90 lakh ha).

On the other hand, oilseeds acreage slipped to 191.99 lakh ha from 193.06 lakh ha a year ago, with soyabean area trailing slightly at 121.82 lakh ha. Among cereals, jowar and bajra acreage was marginally higher at 13.58 lakh ha and 64.86 lakh ha, respectively, while maize sowing declined to 91.09 lakh ha. Among commercial crops, cotton acreage held steady at 109.17 lakh ha, while jute/mesta area rose to 6.34 lakh ha. Overall, the area sown to all kharif crops stood lower at 1,086.31 lakh ha, compared with 1,104 lakh ha in the corresponding period last year.

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