India's kharif sowing area stood at 84.6 lakh hectares as of 12 June 2025, according to data released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare on Wednesday — a marginal dip from the 88.04 lakh hectares recorded in the corresponding period last year. The figures mark the early stages of the kharif season, which has just begun in southern states with the arrival of the southwest monsoon.

Crop-Wise Sowing Breakdown

The area under rice has risen to 4.98 lakh hectares this year, up by 1.09 lakh hectares from 3.88 lakh hectares in the same period last year — one of the few crops to register a year-on-year gain at this stage. In contrast, the area under pulses — including urad and moong — has fallen to 1.55 lakh hectares from 2.73 lakh hectares a year ago, a notable decline given the government's push to boost pulse cultivation.

Coarse cereals and millets — including jowar, bajra, and ragi — covered 4.77 lakh hectares, slightly above the 4.32 lakh hectares in the same period last year. Sugarcane area remained broadly stable at 54.08 lakh hectares, compared with 54.29 lakh hectares a year ago, suggesting consistent farmer preference for the cash crop.

Monsoon Progression and What Comes Next

The kharif season's early data reflects sowing activity primarily in southern India, where the monsoon has arrived first. As the monsoon advances toward central and north India in the coming days, sowing figures are expected to accelerate sharply — making the current numbers an early and partial snapshot rather than a definitive trend.

Notably, the overall area is currently 3.44 lakh hectares below last year's corresponding figure, though agriculture officials and analysts typically caution against reading too much into early-season comparisons before the bulk of sowing in major producing states gets underway.

MSP Boost for 14 Kharif Crops

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had earlier approved an increase in Minimum Support Prices (MSP) for 14 kharif crops for Marketing Season 2026-27, in line with the Union Budget 2018-19 commitment to fix MSP at a minimum of 1.5 times the all-India weighted average cost of production.

According to an official statement, the expected margin to farmers over their cost of production is highest for moong at 61%, followed by bajra and maize at 56% each, and tur/arhar at 54%. For the remaining crops, the margin is estimated at 50%.

Government's Push for Diversified Cropping

In recent years, the Centre has actively promoted cultivation of pulses, oilseeds, and nutri-cereals — marketed under the 'Shree Anna' branding for millets — by offering relatively higher MSPs for these crops compared with traditional cereals. The policy aims to reduce India's dependence on cereal monocultures and improve nutritional diversity in farm output.

With the monsoon set to cover more of the country in the weeks ahead, the agriculture ministry's next update will offer a clearer picture of whether sowing momentum is on track to match or exceed last year's kharif totals.