Kharif Crop Acreage in Gujarat Lags Behind Last Year's Levels

08-Sep-2026 06:00 PM

Ahmedabad: Like Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and a few other states, Gujarat is also seeing its Kharif crop acreage lag behind last year's figures. However, the gap in the sown area has narrowed to just around 1.61 lakh hectares, clearly indicating a significant improvement in Kharif sowing across the state in recent weeks.

Within the cereal crops category, while the area under paddy has seen a slight increase this Kharif season compared to last year, the acreage for sorghum (jowar), pearl millet (bajra), and maize has declined somewhat. Consequently, the total area under cereal crops has become roughly equal to that of the previous year.

Overall, the area under pulse crops has surpassed last year's figure by 11,000 hectares. Notably, there has been an increase in the sown area for pigeon pea (arhar/tur) and black gram (urad), whereas the area under green gram (moong) has decreased. Good monsoon rainfall in Gujarat during July and August provided farmers with a favorable opportunity to accelerate the sowing of various crops. The total Kharif crop area has now reached levels very close to the five-year average, even as the sowing process enters its final phase.

Due to reduced groundnut sowing, the total area under Kharif oilseeds lags behind last year's figures by 1.82 lakh hectares; the sown area for castor is also trailing. It is worth noting that Gujarat is a leading producer of groundnut and castor, as well as cotton. Sesame cultivation has also taken place on a smaller area, whereas the area under soybean has increased slightly. Similarly, cotton acreage has seen some improvement, while the sown area for cluster bean (guar) has declined.