Sharp Decline in Soybean and Groundnut Sowing Area

07-Jul-2026 03:33 PM

New Delhi. A significant decline is being observed this season in the sowing of the two major Kharif oilseed crops—soybean and groundnut. Government data reveals that compared to last year, the area under soybean cultivation has dropped from 79.20 lakh hectares to 47.90 lakh hectares,

while the groundnut sowing area has decreased from 28 lakh hectares to 16.93 lakh hectares. During the 2025-26 Kharif season, soybean was sown across 123.86 lakh hectares and groundnut across 50.29 lakh hectares.

The total sowing area for Kharif oilseed crops has fallen from 109.27 lakh hectares last year to 66.31 lakh hectares this season.

Although the sowing area for sunflower increased from 46,000 hectares to 79,000 hectares and the acreage for Niger seed rose from 1,000 hectares to 6,000 hectares, the area under sesame cultivation dropped from 1.49 lakh hectares to 60,000 hectares.

Sowing for castor has also commenced. Madhya Pradesh is the leading producer of soybean, while Gujarat is the top producer of groundnut; crop sowing in these regions was affected by a lack of rainfall.