NEW DELHI, 24 June 2025: India’s Kharif sowing season for 2025 has gathered early momentum, with farmers covering 137.84 lakh hectares under various crops by June 20—a 13 lakh hectare increase over the same period last year, according to the Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare.
The sowing boost is attributed to timely and widespread monsoon rains across key agricultural belts, prompting farmers to begin planting earlier than usual. Rice, the season’s staple crop, has recorded a significant gain with 13.22 lakh hectares already sown—up by 4.86 lakh hectares from the corresponding period in 2024.
Pulses are also witnessing a positive trend. The total sown area has reached 9.44 lakh hectares, led by a strong surge in moong cultivation, which alone has expanded by 1.77 lakh hectares, touching 4.43 lakh hectares in total.
The “Shri Anna” initiative, which promotes coarse cereals, appears to be delivering results. The area under coarse cereals now stands at 18.03 lakh hectares, an increase of 3.25 lakh hectares. Maize continues to lead this category, sown across 12.32 lakh hectares, marking a rise of over 2 lakh hectares from last year.
While most crops are showing growth, oilseeds have bucked the trend slightly. The overall oilseed acreage dropped by 0.11 lakh hectares, now standing at 5.38 lakh hectares. Small reductions were noted in groundnut and soybean, though sesamum saw a minor uptick.
Among commercial crops, cotton has shown robust performance, with the cultivated area rising to 31.25 lakh hectares, a year-on-year gain of 2.14 lakh hectares. Sugarcane, too, continues its steady climb with 55.07 lakh hectares already sown. In contrast, jute and mesta saw a marginal decline, falling to 5.46 lakh hectares, down by 0.17 lakh hectares.
Officials say the early surge is a positive indicator for India’s 2025 Kharif season, but emphasize that the next few weeks will be crucial. “The progress of the monsoon and its spatial distribution will play a key role in sustaining this momentum,” a senior agriculture ministry official noted.
With sowing activity ahead of last year’s pace and strong monsoon support, India’s farming sector appears poised for a productive season—barring major weather disruptions in the coming months.
The Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare has released progress of area coverage under kharif crops as on 20th June 2024.
Area: In lakh hectare
| S. No. | Crop | Normal Area (2019-20to2023-24) | Area Sown | Increase(+)/Decrease(-) over2024 | ||
| 2025 | 2024 | |||||
| 1 | Rice | 403.09 | 13.22 | 8.37 | 4.86 | |
| 2 | Pulses | 129.61 | 9.44 | 6.63 | 2.80 | |
| a | Arhar | 44.71 | 2.48 | 2.61 | -0.13 | |
| b | Urd bean | 32.64 | 1.39 | 0.62 | 0.77 | |
| c | Moong bean | 35.69 | 4.43 | 2.67 | 1.77 | |
| d | Kulthi | 1.72 | 0.08 | 0.07 | 0.01 | |
| e | Mothbean | 9.70 | 0.11 | 0.00 | 0.11 | |
| f | Other pulses | 5.15 | 0.94 | 0.67 | 0.27 | |
| 3 | Shri Anna cum Coarse cereals | 180.71 | 18.03 | 14.77 | 3.25 | |
| a | Jowar | 15.07 | 1.51 | 0.90 | 0.61 | |
| b | Bajra | 70.69 | 3.70 | 2.71 | 1.00 | |
| c | Ragi | 11.52 | 0.03 | 0.32 | -0.29 | |
| d | Small millets | 4.48 | 0.47 | 0.55 | -0.08 | |
| e | Maize | 78.95 | 12.32 | 10.31 | 2.01 | |
| 4 | Oilseeds | 194.63 | 5.38 | 5.49 | -0.11 | |
| a | Groundnut | 45.10 | 1.78 | 1.91 | -0.13 | |
| b | Soybean | 127.19 | 3.07 | 3.12 | -0.05 | |
| c | Sunflower | 1.29 | 0.27 | 0.26 | 0.02 | |
| d | Sesamum | 10.32 | 0.20 | 0.14 | 0.06 | |
| e | Niger | 1.08 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| f | Castor | 9.65 | 0.01 | 0.02 | -0.01 | |
| g | Other Oilseeds | 0.00 | 0.03 | 0.04 | 0.00 | |
| 5 | Sugarcane | 52.51 | 55.07 | 54.88 | 0.20 | |
| 6 | Jute & Mesta | 6.59 | 5.46 | 5.62 | -0.17 | |
| 7 | Cotton | 129.50 | 31.25 | 29.12 | 2.14 | |
| Total | 1096.64 | 137.84 | 124.88 | 12.97 | ||