Kharif Crop Acreage in Rajasthan Lags Behind Last Year by 4 Lakh Hectares

25-Aug-2026 07:28 PM

Jaipur: In the western state of Rajasthan, the total area under Kharif crops reached 153.97 lakh hectares by August 25 this year, which is 4.04 lakh hectares less than the 158.01 lakh hectares sown during the same period last year. Compared to the previous year, there has been an increase in the cultivation area for paddy, sorghum (jowar), pearl millet (bajra), maize, moth bean, and sesame; conversely, the sown area for moong (green gram), cowpea (chola), groundnut, soybean, castor, cotton, and cluster bean (guar) has declined. It is noteworthy that Rajasthan is a leading producer of moong, moth bean, cowpea, and cluster bean.

According to the State Agriculture Department's report, compared to last year, the area under paddy and coarse cereals in Rajasthan rose from 56.42 lakh hectares to 60.59 lakh hectares during the current Kharif season. However, the sown area for pulses fell from 39.63 lakh hectares to 36.88 lakh hectares, the area for oilseeds dropped from 26.85 lakh hectares to 24.61 lakh hectares, cotton acreage slipped from 6.44 lakh hectares to 5.39 lakh hectares, and the area under cluster bean decreased from 24.82 lakh hectares to 22.35 lakh hectares.

Among coarse cereals, the area under maize increased from 8.88 lakh hectares to 9.84 lakh hectares, and the sown area for pearl millet improved from 39.09 lakh hectares to 40.55 lakh hectares. Among pulse crops, the sowing area for moong (green gram) shifted from 2.657 million hectares to 2.817 million hectares; among oilseed crops, the production area for groundnut declined from 1.286 million hectares to 1.124 million hectares, and the acreage for soybean fell from 0.989 million hectares to 0.932 million hectares.