Mustard Sowing Down 46% from Last Year at Just 2.05 Million Hectares; Other Rabi Crops Also Lag

Mustard acreage is significantly behind in the current rabi season, with sowing completed on barely half the area covered during the corresponding period last year. According to data available on the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare’s UPAg portal, rapeseed and mustard had been sown on just 2.05 million hectares as of October 30. By the same date last year (rabi 2025), sowing had been completed on 3.807 million hectares. This represents a 46.16% decline in acreage this year.

In fact, sowing of most rabi crops is lagging behind. The area under the main rabi crop, wheat, is down by 94.22%. The total area sown under all rabi crops is currently 43.5% below last year’s level.

Despite high mustard prices, sowing is progressing slowly. Mustard prices in various mandis of Rajasthan have recently ranged between Rs 7,600 and Rs 9,300 per quintal. The government has fixed the minimum support price (MSP) for mustard at Rs 6,613 per quintal for the current rabi season, up from Rs 6,200 per quintal last year. After recent rains, sowing of mustard is expected to gain momentum.

Rajasthan is the country’s largest mustard-producing state. Against 2.206 million hectares sown by this time last year, mustard sowing has covered only 891,000 hectares so far. This represents a 59.61% decline.

Uttar Pradesh ranks second in mustard cultivation. By this time last year, rapeseed and mustard had been sown on 1.333 million hectares in the state. This year, the acreage has reached only 1.038 million hectares, down 22.19% from the previous year.

Haryana has recorded an even sharper decline, with mustard sowing lagging 72.09% behind last year. The crop has been sown on just 60,000 hectares so far, compared with 215,000 hectares during the corresponding period last year.

Rapeseed and mustard are also cultivated in Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Assam. Acreage in all these states, except West Bengal, is lower than last year. In West Bengal, the area under the crop has increased to 37,000 hectares this year from 23,000 hectares last year.

In Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh, sowing has covered 4,000 hectares each, compared with 5,000 hectares last year. Assam has also recorded a decline, with acreage reaching just 4,000 hectares against 13,000 hectares during the corresponding period last year.

Mustard is the principal rabi oilseed crop. The five-year average acreage under all oilseeds is 9.076 million hectares, of which rapeseed and mustard account for 8.278 million hectares. As of October 30 this year, sowing of all oilseeds had reached 2.097 million hectares, 45.7% lower than the 3.862 million hectares recorded last year.

However, groundnut, another major oilseed crop of the season, has recorded an increase in acreage. By October 30, its area had reached 25,000 hectares, compared with 15,000 hectares last year, representing an increase of more than 62%. Its five-year average acreage is 398,000 hectares.

Among other rabi crops, wheat sowing had covered just 19,000 hectares by October 30, compared with 334,000 hectares during the same period last year. The area under coarse cereals has declined by 10.4% to 378,000 hectares from 422,000 hectares last year. Pulses sowing is lagging by 51.7%, with acreage reaching only 945,000 hectares against 1.95 million hectares during the corresponding period last year.