Kharif 2025 sowing begins strong with timely monsoon: 1.48 lakh hectares higher than last year

The Kharif 2025 season has officially commenced with the timely arrival of the southwest monsoon, rejuvenating fields and energizing rural India. The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, through the Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, released early sowing data as on June 13, 2025, capturing the initial pulse of this season’s agricultural activity. The figures reveal that the total area under Kharif crops has reached 89.29 lakh hectares, marking an increase of 1.48 lakh hectares over the corresponding period in 2024, which stood at 87.81 lakh hectares.

Paddy Sowing Off to a Good Start

Rice, the most significant Kharif crop, has so far been sown on 4.53 lakh hectares, compared to 4.00 lakh hectares at the same time last year, showing an increase of 0.53 lakh hectares. Although this is still a small portion of the normal Kharif rice area of 403.09 lakh hectares, the uptick is a positive sign. With the monsoon advancing steadily through eastern and central India, rice transplanting has begun in earnest in states such as West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Bihar, and parts of eastern Uttar Pradesh.

Pulse Acreage Rises; Urd and Moong Drive Growth

Pulses have registered an overall area of 3.07 lakh hectares, up from 2.60 lakh hectares last year—an increase of 0.47 lakh hectares. This growth is largely attributed to increased sowing of urd bean and moong bean.

Urd bean has recorded a sharp rise from 0.18 lakh hectares in 2024 to 0.43 lakh hectares in 2025, an impressive jump of 0.24 lakh hectares. Moong bean area has also expanded from 1.38 lakh hectares last year to 1.56 lakh hectaresthis year, indicating a rise of 0.17 lakh hectares.

On the other hand, tur or arhar has seen a decline from 0.41 lakh hectares to 0.30 lakh hectares, a reduction of 0.11 lakh hectares, possibly due to a temporary delay in rainfall in some regions or shifting crop economics. Kulthi has slightly increased from 0.04 to 0.06 lakh hectares, while other pulses have gone up from 0.59 lakh hectares to 0.73 lakh hectares. However, mothbean continues to show no sowing activity so far, maintaining a nil figure for this period.

The overall rise in pulse acreage is in line with India’s push for nutrition security and efforts to reduce dependency on imports.

Coarse Cereals Show Stability; Bajra Surges, Maize Dips

The total area under coarse cereals, now officially categorized as ″Shri Anna″, stands at 5.89 lakh hectares, nearly identical to the 5.90 lakh hectares recorded in 2024. However, individual crops within this segment display distinct trends.

Jowar has gained ground, increasing from 0.75 lakh hectares last year to 1.01 lakh hectares in 2025. Bajra has seen a dramatic increase from a mere 0.03 lakh hectares in 2024 to 0.86 lakh hectares this year, marking a jump of 0.83 lakh hectares—a reflection of strong monsoon performance in millet-producing belts.

Conversely, ragi has declined from 0.31 lakh hectares to just 0.02 lakh hectares, and small millets have reduced from 0.55 lakh hectares to 0.40 lakh hectares, indicating a drop of 0.29 and 0.14 lakh hectares, respectively. Maize has also seen a reduction, with sown area declining from 4.28 lakh hectares last year to 3.60 lakh hectares this year—a decrease of 0.68 lakh hectares, possibly due to delayed rains in parts of central India or reallocation to oilseeds and pulses.

Oilseeds Post Strong Gains Led by Soybean

Oilseeds have recorded a robust increase in early sowing. The total area under oilseeds has reached 2.05 lakh hectares, compared to 1.50 lakh hectares last year, reflecting a significant gain of 0.55 lakh hectares.

Soybean, which is the dominant Kharif oilseed, has driven much of this growth. Its sown area has expanded from 0.40 lakh hectares in 2024 to 1.07 lakh hectares in 2025, showing a surge of 0.66 lakh hectares—the highest among all oilseed crops. Groundnut has seen a modest decline from 0.71 lakh hectares to 0.58 lakh hectares, while sunflower has maintained its area at 0.22 lakh hectares for both years.

Sesamum has gone up slightly from 0.13 to 0.15 lakh hectares, and niger remains unsown. Castor has begun to show signs of sowing with 0.01 lakh hectares, while other minor oilseeds collectively remain stable at 0.03 lakh hectares.

This early push in oilseeds, particularly soybean, reflects farmer optimism, availability of early rainfall, and better market demand.

Sugarcane Acreage Continues to Expand

Sugarcane cultivation continues to grow steadily. This year, farmers have sown sugarcane across 55.07 lakh hectares, up from 54.88 lakh hectares in 2024, representing an increase of 0.20 lakh hectares. Given sugarcane’s high input demand and longer duration, this stable increase suggests that farmer interest remains strong, likely supported by assured procurement from sugar mills and attractive returns from ethanol production under the blending program.

Jute and Mesta Record Marginal Decline

The combined sowing area of jute and mesta has dipped slightly this season. In 2024, the area stood at 5.65 lakh hectares, while in 2025 it has declined to 5.48 lakh hectares, indicating a decrease of 0.17 lakh hectares. The drop may reflect reduced domestic and international demand, or weather-related delays in the key jute-growing states like West Bengal and Assam.

Cotton Maintains Stable Presence Despite Slight Drop

Cotton sowing remains largely stable, though a marginal decline has been recorded. As of mid-June, the area under cotton cultivation stands at 13.19 lakh hectares, slightly below last year’s 13.28 lakh hectares. This dip of 0.09 lakh hectares is not significant, and as monsoon spreads further into cotton-growing zones like Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Telangana, this number is expected to rise substantially in the coming weeks.

An Optimistic Start to Kharif 2025

With a total sown area of 89.29 lakh hectares so far, the Kharif 2025 season has opened on a strong note, aided by the timely onset of the southwest monsoon. Key crops like rice, pulses, and soybean have posted gains in acreage, while traditional coarse cereals have shown mixed trends. Declines in crops like maize and cotton are relatively minor and may recover as the monsoon progresses further into northwestern and western India.

Progress of Area Coverage under Kharif Crops – As on 13th June 2025 (All figures in Lakh Hectares)