Kharif Sowing Reaches 1086.31 Lakh Hectares This Season

The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare releases a weekly report on how much land has been sown. The report issued on 8 September 2026 gives the position as on 4 September 2026. The all India kharif sown area stands at 1086.31 lakh hectares. Sowing in the same week of the previous season was higher. The area is down by 17.69 lakh hectares against that mark. The season is also running below the normal area, the average with which the department compares every week.

Crop by crop, in lakh hectares

Which crops gained

Only two groups are above last year's mark. Pulses rose by 1.84 lakh hectares, helped by Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Telangana, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, while Maharashtra, Karnataka and Odisha sowed less. Jute and mesta rose by 0.10 lakh hectares, with Bihar and West Bengal leading the gain.

Where the fall came from

Rice accounts for most of the decline. Its area fell by 16.37 lakh hectares, the sharpest cuts being in Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh; Assam and Odisha sowed more. Coarse cereals slipped even though bajra and jowar gained, because maize and ragi lost ground. Oilseeds fell as Rajasthan and Gujarat sowed less, which wiped out the gains of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. Cotton fell in Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab, while Telangana and Gujarat added area.

Why an aspirant should read this

Kharif is the monsoon crop season, sown with the rains from June and harvested from October. Its area report is the first signal of the year's foodgrain supply, and a weak rice number feeds directly into questions on food security and inflation. The safe facts here are the total area, the comparison with the previous year and the two crop groups that gained.