The total area under kharif crop sowing has increased by 26.93 lakh hectares to 1,105.42 lakh hectares as of 5 September, compared with 1,078.49 lakh hectares in the same period last year, according to data released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare on Monday.
Officials said the increase in sown area is expected to boost production, raise farmers’ income, and help keep food inflation under control.
The figures show that the area under rice has reached 438.28 lakh hectares, higher by 19.63 lakh hectares from 418.66 lakh hectares last year.
Pulses such as urad and moong cover 116.40 lakh hectares, up from 114.46 lakh hectares in the same period last year.
The area under coarse cereals or millets, including jowar, bajra, and ragi, has increased sharply by 12.09 lakh hectares to 191.71 lakh hectares this season.
Officials attributed the rise in kharif crop sowing to better monsoon rains, which supported planting in unirrigated areas that make up nearly half of India’s farmland.
The area under sugarcane has also gone up to 57.31 lakh hectares, which is 1.64 lakh hectares higher than the same period last year.
On 28 May, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved an increase in the Minimum Support Prices (MSP) for 14 kharif crops for the marketing season 2025-26.
The move aims to ensure remunerative prices and incentivise production.
The highest absolute MSP increase was for nigerseed at Rs 820 per quintal, followed by ragi at Rs 596 per quintal, cotton at Rs 589 per quintal, and sesamum at Rs 579 per quintal.
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