Kharif 2025 Sowing Sees Strong Start with 137.84 Lakh Hectares Already Covered
New Delhi : The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare has reported a promising start to the 2025 Kharif sowing season, with total coverage across the country reaching 137.84 lakh hectares as of June 20, a notable increase of nearly 13 lakh hectares over the same period last year.
According to the data released by the Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, rice sowing has shown significant progress. 13.22 lakh hectares have been brought under rice cultivation this year, compared to 8.37 lakh hectares in 2024, registering a sharp increase of 4.86 lakh hectares.
Pulses cultivation also witnessed a robust boost, reaching 9.44 lakh hectares, an increase of 2.80 lakh hectares over last year. Notably, moong bean and urd bean recorded increases of 1.77 lakh hectares and 0.77 lakh hectares respectively. However, arhar saw a slight decline of 0.13 lakh hectares. Other pulses like mothbean, kulthi, and sesamum saw marginal improvements.
Under the newly rebranded “Shri Anna” category (coarse cereals), sowing activity covered 18.03 lakh hectares, up 3.25 lakh hectares from last year. Maize led the segment with 12.32 lakh hectares sown, a jump of 2.01 lakh hectares, followed by increases in bajra and jowar, even as ragi and small millets saw marginal declines.
In contrast, oilseeds recorded a slight dip, with sowing falling to 5.38 lakh hectares from 5.49 lakh hectares in 2024. While groundnut and soybean acreage declined slightly, crops like sesamum and sunflower showed minor gains.
Sugarcane maintained a strong showing, with a total of 55.07 lakh hectares under cultivation, an increase of 0.20 lakh hectares over last year. On the other hand, jute and mesta cultivation dropped by 0.17 lakh hectares.
A major positive was seen in cotton, which saw an area coverage of 31.25 lakh hectares, rising from 29.12 lakh hectares last year, an increase of 2.14 lakh hectares.
The Ministry noted that favourable monsoon patterns and improved field conditions have contributed to this early success, giving farmers and policymakers alike hope for a strong agricultural output in the ongoing Kharif season.
