Kharif crop acreage in Gujarat crosses 8 million hectares

31-Aug-2026 05:51 PM

Gandhinagar: Gujarat, a key agricultural state in western India, has witnessed a good pace of Kharif crop sowing in recent weeks. By August 31, the total sown area rose to 8.039 million hectares (80.39 lakh hectares), though it still trailed the 8.24 million hectares (82.40 lakh hectares) recorded during the same period last year by approximately 0.2 million hectares.

According to the latest data from the State Agriculture Department, compared to the previous year, the area under paddy increased from 0.897 million hectares to 0.901 million hectares, and the area under sorghum (jowar) rose from 11,000 hectares to 14,000 hectares during the current Kharif season. However, the sown area for pearl millet (bajra) fell from 0.172 million hectares to 0.161 million hectares, and the area under maize slipped from 0.279 million hectares to 0.272 million hectares; consequently, the total acreage for paddy and coarse cereals declined from 1.371 million hectares last year to 1.358 million hectares this year.

Similarly, the area under oilseeds dropped from 3.114 million hectares to 2.921 million hectares, and the area under guar (cluster bean) fell from 74,000 hectares to 49,000 hectares. On the other hand, the sown area for pulses improved from 0.430 million hectares to 0.446 million hectares, and the area under cotton increased from 2.080 million hectares to 2.147 million hectares.

Among pulse crops, the cultivation area for *arhar* (tur/pigeon pea) increased from 2.81 lakh hectares to 3.13 lakh hectares, and the sowing area for *urad* (black gram) rose from 83,000 hectares to 90,000 hectares; however, the area under *moong* (green gram) declined from 48,000 hectares to 31,000 hectares.

In the oilseed category in Gujarat, compared to the previous year, the area under groundnut cultivation during the current Kharif season decreased from 22.01 lakh hectares to 20.68 lakh hectares, the acreage for sesame fell from 41,000 hectares to 20,000 hectares, and the sowing area for castor dropped from 5.95 lakh hectares to 5.29 lakh hectares, whereas the area under soybean increased from 2.77 lakh hectares to 3.04 lakh hectares. It is noteworthy that Gujarat is the country's leading producer of groundnut, cotton, and castor. Sowing of Kharif crops in the state is nearing completion.