Kharif crop acreage in Gujarat lags significantly behind last year despite rainfall

14-Jul-2026 11:21 AM

Gandhinagar: Gujarat, a key agricultural state in western India, experienced good rainfall early this month due to the intensification of the southwest monsoon, which accelerated the pace of Kharif sowing. However, the initial decline in acreage was so steep that bridging the gap proved impossible.

According to the State Agriculture Department's latest weekly report, the total area under Kharif crops in Gujarat reached only 39.75 lakh hectares by July 13 this year—a shortfall of 10.54 lakh hectares compared to the 50.27 lakh hectares sown during the same period last year.

Official data indicates that compared to the previous year, the area under paddy cultivation during the current Kharif season dropped from 89,000 hectares to 47,000 hectares, while maize acreage slipped from 1.60 lakh hectares to 1.54 lakh hectares.

The area under pulse crops also fell from 1.34 lakh hectares to 71,000 hectares. Within this category, the sowing area for Arhar (Tur) dropped from 81,000 hectares to 55,000 hectares, Moong acreage fell from 25,000 hectares to 5,000 hectares, and the area under Urad declined from 25,000 hectares to 11,000 hectares.

Similarly, the area under oilseed crops decreased from 20.79 lakh hectares to 15.71 lakh hectares. Specifically, the groundnut sowing area dropped from 18.51 lakh hectares to 13.86 lakh hectares, sesame acreage fell from 19,000 hectares to 5,000 hectares, the area under castor declined from 19,000 hectares to 6,000 hectares,

and the area under soybean slipped from 1.90 lakh hectares to 1.75 lakh hectares. In Gujarat, the cotton cultivation area declined from 18.57 lakh hectares to 16.75 lakh hectares, while the area under guar dropped from 28,000 hectares to 3,000 hectares. Sowing of Kharif crops is currently underway in the state.