Kharif crop acreage in Gujarat reaches 7.617 million hectares
17-Aug-2026 07:34 PM
Gandhinagar. While monsoon rains have improved the condition of Kharif crops in Gujarat, the total sown area still lags slightly behind last year's figures. By August 17, the total area under Kharif crops in this western state reached 7.617 million hectares, which is 0.189 million hectares less than the 7.806 million hectares sown during the same period last year. The sowing process has now reached its final stage.
According to the latest data from the State Agriculture Department, the combined area under paddy and coarse cereals in Gujarat during the current Kharif season has declined from 1.323 million hectares to 1.290 million hectares compared to the previous year. Specifically, the area under paddy fell from 0.870 million hectares to 0.842 million hectares, pearl millet (bajra) sowing dropped from 0.163 million hectares to 0.156 million hectares, and maize acreage slipped from 0.275 million hectares to 0.270 million hectares; conversely, the area under sorghum (jowar) rose from 7,000 hectares to 13,000 hectares. Similarly, the area under pulse crops dropped from 6.98 lakh hectares last year to 3.89 lakh hectares. Within this category, the sowing area for pigeon pea (tur) improved from 2.58 lakh hectares to 2.62 lakh hectares, and the area for black gram (urad) increased from 76,000 hectares to 88,000 hectares, while the acreage for green gram (moong) fell from 47,000 hectares to 29,000 hectares.
The area under oilseed crops also declined, settling at 2.741 million hectares, down from 2.844 million hectares. Under this, the groundnut acreage slipped from 20.81 lakh hectares to 20.59 lakh hectares, the area under sesame fell from 40,000 hectares to 17,000 hectares, and the castor sowing area declined from 4.48 lakh hectares to 3.63 lakh hectares; however, the soybean cultivation area rose from 75,000 hectares to 3.02 lakh hectares. In Gujarat, the cotton cultivation area increased from 20.68 lakh hectares to 21.35 lakh hectares, whereas the guar sowing area dropped from 68,000 hectares to 43,000 hectares.