India’s Kharif crop sowing remains behind last year’s level amid uneven monsoon performance and weaker reservoir storage. As of August 7, farmers had covered 967.92 lakh hectares under major Kharif crops, down 17.96 lakh hectares, or 1.82% from 985.89 lakh hectares a year earlier. Cumulative rainfall during June 1-August 5 was 11% below normal, while live storage in 166 monitored reservoirs as of August 6 stood 2.87% below normal and was only 73.25% of last year’s level.
Kharif sowing: Rice drags overall coverage
According to the Agriculture Statistics Division, total area under the major Kharif crops stood at 967.92 lakh hectares as on August 7, 2026, compared with 985.89 lakh hectares during the corresponding period last year. The area is also below the normal area of 1,104.46 lakh hectares for the comparable period.
Rice, the largest Kharif crop, accounted for the biggest shortfall. Area under rice stood at 344.78 lakh hectares, down 15.90 lakh hectares (4.41%) from 360.67 lakh hectares last year. The major declines were reported from Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh. Assam, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh and Punjab reported higher coverage.
Pulses coverage also remained lower at 103.78 lakh hectares, compared with 105.73 lakh hectares last year, a decline of 1.95 lakh hectares or 1.84%. Karnataka, Maharashtra and Odisha recorded the major declines, while Uttar Pradesh reported a significant increase of 4.41 lakh hectares.
Coarse cereals and Shree Anna acreage declined by 4.71 lakh hectares to 168.50 lakh hectares from 173.21 lakh hectares, down 4.71 lakh hectares or 2.72%. Karnataka, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu were among the major states contributing to the decline, while Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh recorded higher coverage.
The major positive trend came from oilseeds, where acreage increased by 5.19 lakh hectares or 2.97% to 180.20 lakh hectares from 175.01 lakh hectares. Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan recorded the largest increases. The rise was partly offset by declines in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Karnataka.
Cotton acreage was marginally lower at 106.01 lakh hectares, against 106.42 lakh hectares last year. Telangana, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh reported higher coverage, while Rajasthan, Haryana, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Punjab saw declines. Sugarcane acreage was also slightly lower at 58.31 lakh hectares compared with 58.62 lakh hectares last year. Jute and mesta, in contrast, increased marginally to about 6.33 lakh hectares.
Rainfall: Countrywide deficit at 11%
The rainfall situation provides an important backdrop to the sowing pattern. During June 1-August 5, the country received 434.5 mm of rainfall against the normal 491.0 mm, resulting in an 11% deficit.
The regional picture was uneven. Central India was the only major region with a positive cumulative departure, receiving 559.9 mm against the normal 549.1 mm, or 2% above normal.
The East and Northeast region recorded the largest cumulative deficit at 27%, with rainfall of 588.9 mm against the normal 805.3 mm. The South Peninsula was 18% below normal, receiving 327.5 mm against 399.7 mm. Northwest India recorded a 12% deficit, with 285.6 mm against the normal 322.8 mm.
The short-term rainfall picture was considerably better. During July 30-August 5, the country as a whole received 66.8 mm against the normal 62.7 mm, an excess of 7%. Central India recorded a 14% excess, while South Peninsula was 39% above normal and East and Northeast India was 2% above normal. Northwest India, however, remained deficient by 22%.
Thus, the recent improvement in rainfall has not yet erased the cumulative seasonal deficit. The distribution also remains uneven, with the regions experiencing larger cumulative deficits continuing to face a more challenging water situation.
Reservoir storage: 166 reservoirs at 97% of normal
The Central Water Commission’s assessment of 166 important reservoirs as on August 6 shows that total live storage stood at 96.966 billion cubic metres (BCM), equivalent to 52.82% of their total live storage capacity.
This was substantially below the 132.368 BCM available at the same time last year and marginally below the normal storage of 99.831 BCM. Current storage was therefore 73.25% of last year’s level and 97.13% of normal, with the CWC recording the overall position as lower than both last year and normal.
Western region remains strongest
The Western region had the best storage position among the five regions. Its 53 monitored reservoirs held 28.899 BCM, equivalent to 75.86% of live capacity. This compared with 73.76% last year and 56.64% of normal, putting the region 33.95% above normal. Gujarat and Maharashtra were particularly strong, with storage departures of 40.58% and 30.52% above normal, respectively.
The Eastern region had 10.268 BCM in its 27 monitored reservoirs, or 47.19% of capacity. Although this was lower than the 54.97% recorded last year, it was above the normal level of 42.76%, giving the region a 10.36% positive departure from normal. Odisha, Assam, Nagaland and Tripura were among the states with better storage relative to last year.
The Northern region, comprising Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan, had 9.084 BCM in 11 reservoirs, or 45.80% of capacity. Storage was 70.43% of last year’s level and 53.47% of normal, translating into a 14.35% deficit from normal. Rajasthan had the largest negative departure among the three states at 18.53%.
The Central region had 23.022 BCM in 28 reservoirs, equivalent to 47.38% of capacity. This compared with 72.53% last year and 54.98% of normal, resulting in a 13.82% deficit from normal. Madhya Pradesh’s storage was 21.49% below normal, while Uttar Pradesh was 17.86% below normal. Chhattisgarh was an exception, with storage 27.40% above normal.
The Southern region had 25.693 BCM in 47 monitored reservoirs, representing 46.47% of capacity. Storage was 77.96% of last year’s level and 57.21% of normal, translating into an 18.78% deficit from normal, the largest among the five regions.
The situation was particularly weak in Telangana, where storage was only 20.92% of live capacity and 54.98% below normal. Tamil Nadu’s storage was 39.58% below normal. Andhra Pradesh, however, remained marginally above normal at 2.18%.
Water position adds to Kharif uncertainty
The combined picture of crop coverage, rainfall and reservoir storage suggests that the Kharif season remains uneven. The decline in rice acreage is the principal reason for the overall fall in sowing, while oilseeds have expanded significantly. At the same time, cumulative rainfall remains deficient in four of the five regions, and reservoir storage is below last year’s level nationally.
Overall, the data indicate that recent improvement in rainfall has not yet translated into a major recovery in aggregate Kharif acreage or reservoir levels. The coming weeks of the monsoon will therefore remain crucial for late sowing, crop establishment and replenishment of water reserves.