India's kharif sowing acreage has reached 531.25 lakh hectares (lh) as of July 17, 2026, compared with 632.69 lh in the same period last year, a decline of 6 per cent, according to the Agriculture Ministry's weekly update. The deficit has improved sharply from 21 per cent as of July 5 and 16 per cent as of July 10, thanks to a 31 per cent surplus monsoon in the first 10 days of July. During the week July 11-17, farmers planted 126.94 lh, nearly double the 67.78 lh covered in the corresponding week of 2025.
Sowing Recovery Driven by Surplus Monsoon
Officials attributed the rapid catch-up to above-normal rainfall during the first ten days of July. The overall monsoon deficit from June 1 to July 20 now stands at 23 per cent, according to India Meteorological Department (IMD) data, compared to a revised 37 per cent deficit in June. The deficit had widened to 14 per cent by July 10 before turning surplus after July 20.
Key Crop Coverage Details
The main kharif cereal paddy has narrowed its deficit to less than 1 per cent, with transplanting completed on 166.41 lh against 167.83 lh a year ago. The government has set a production target of 123.15 million tonnes (mt) of rice for the season.
Pulses coverage recovered to 69.23 lh (down from 81.52 lh), a deficit of 15 per cent compared to 23 per cent a week earlier. Among pulses, arhar (pigeon pea) stood at 24.80 lh (down 18% from 30.17 lh), moong (green gram) at 23.98 lh (down from 26.94 lh), and urad (black matpe) at 13.51 lh (down from 14.36 lh).
Oilseeds area reached 147.09 lh against 155.72 lh last year, reducing the deficit to 6 per cent from 21 per cent. Soybean was sown on 106.02 lh (down from 111.05 lh) and groundnut on 34.52 lh (down from 37.69 lh). The government targets 28.92 mt of oilseeds production, with soybean at 14.85 mt and groundnut at 11.35 mt.
Cotton acreage stood at 92.53 lh, down 6 per cent from 98.4 lh. Sugarcane sowing was completed at 57.58 lh, slightly higher than 56.72 lh a year ago. Jute and mesta coverage also finished at 6.32 lh versus 6.19 lh.
Nutri/coarse cereals coverage fell 11 per cent to 119.03 lh from 134.09 lh. Jowar was at 8.74 lh (down from 9.99 lh), bajra at 39.98 lh (down from 49.05 lh), ragi at 1.06 lh (down from 1.46 lh), and maize at 67.89 lh (down from 71.50 lh).
| Crop | Area (lh) July 17, 2026 | Area (lh) July 17, 2025 | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 531.25 | 632.69 | -6% |
| Paddy | 166.41 | 167.83 | -0.8% |
| Pulses | 69.23 | 81.52 | -15% |
| Oilseeds | 147.09 | 155.72 | -6% |
| Cotton | 92.53 | 98.4 | -6% |
| Sugarcane | 57.58 | 56.72 | +1.5% |
| Nutri-cereals | 119.03 | 134.09 | -11% |
Government Production Targets
The government has fixed a production target of 176.16 million tonnes of foodgrains for Kharif 2026, including 8.4 mt of pulses, 31.04 mt of maize, and 13.56 mt of nutri-cereals. Despite the current acreage deficit, officials remain optimistic that surplus rains and extended sowing windows will further bridge the gap.
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