Rabi Crop Area Increases by 3 Percent
13-Jan-2026 07:03 PM
New Delhi: Compared to last year, the total area under Rabi crops at the national level increased by 17.65 lakh hectares, or 3 percent, from 626.64 lakh hectares to 644.29 lakh hectares during the 2025-26 season.
During the period under review, the sowing area of most major crops – wheat, barley, maize, gram, lentil, mustard, and groundnut – showed a good increase, and the area under paddy also increased. However, the sowing area of peas, urad, and sorghum registered a decline.
According to official data, compared to the 2024-25 season, the sowing area of wheat increased from 328.04 lakh hectares to 334.17 lakh hectares, paddy from 19.49 lakh hectares to 21.71 lakh hectares,
pulses from 132.61 lakh hectares to 136.36 lakh hectares, coarse grains from 53.17 lakh hectares to 55.20 lakh hectares, and oilseeds from 93.33 lakh hectares to 96.86 lakh hectares during the current Rabi season of 2025-26.
Encouraged by higher Minimum Support Prices (MSP) and favorable weather conditions, farmers showed tremendous interest in wheat sowing, resulting in a 6.13 lakh hectare increase in the area under cultivation, reaching an all-time high of 334.17 lakh hectares, surpassing last year's record of 328.04 lakh hectares.
Similarly, the area under gram cultivation increased significantly by 4.66 lakh hectares, rising from 91.22 lakh hectares last year to 95.88 lakh hectares this year.
The sowing area of lentils also improved by 45,000 hectares during this period, reaching 18.12 lakh hectares from 17.66 lakh hectares. In oilseed crops, the area under mustard cultivation increased by 2.79 lakh hectares, from 86.57 lakh hectares to 89.36 lakh hectares, and the area under groundnut cultivation improved from 3.37 lakh hectares to 3.52 lakh hectares.
Increases were also recorded in the area under sunflower, safflower, and linseed. Among coarse grains, the area under maize cultivation increased by 1.75 lakh hectares and that of barley by 1.28 lakh hectares, but the area under sorghum cultivation decreased by 1.30 lakh hectares. The area under ragi increased by 27,000 hectares.