23% Drop in Pulse Sowing Area Despite Government Efforts

14-Jul-2026 12:43 PM

New Delhi: Although the Central Government is encouraging farmers to cultivate pulses and oilseeds during this Kharif season—mindful of the uncertain and erratic Southwest Monsoon caused by the El Niño weather cycle—and the acreage for pulses is showing week-on-week improvement, the sown area still lags significantly behind last year's figures.

According to data from the Union Ministry of Agriculture, the total area under pulse cultivation at the national level reached only 56.63 lakh hectares by July 10 during the current Kharif season; this is 17.22 lakh hectares (or 23.32%) less than the 73.85 lakh hectares sown during the same period last year. While the normal average area for pulses is estimated at 123.64 lakh hectares, the actual sown area has not even reached 50% of this figure. The ideal window for sowing pulse crops is rapidly closing. A sharp decline is being observed in the sowing of the three major pulses—Tur (Arhar), Urad, and Moong—as well as Moth bean.

Official data indicates that compared to last year, the cultivation area for Arhar (Tur) has dropped from 28.03 lakh hectares to 9.34 lakh hectares, Moong acreage has fallen from 24.08 lakh hectares to 21.52 lakh hectares, and Moth bean coverage has slipped from 6.12 lakh hectares to 4.40 lakh hectares.

Similarly, the sowing area for other pulse crops has reached only 1.70 lakh hectares this season, compared to 2.20 lakh hectares previously. For the current Kharif season, the five-year average area has been estimated at 44.32 lakh hectares for Arhar, 29.60 lakh hectares for Urad, 35.48 lakh hectares for Moong, 9.69 lakh hectares for Moth, 1.48 lakh hectares for Kulthi, and 3.07 lakh hectares for other pulses.