Rabi Crop Sowing Crosses 536 Lakh Hectares, Up 24 Lakh Ha from Last Year

India's rabi crop sowing has shown robust progress this season, with the total area covered exceeding 536 lakh hectares as of December 5, 2025, according to the latest data from the Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare. This marks a significant increase of 24 lakh hectares compared to the same period last year (512.76 lakh ha), signaling strong farmer participation amid favorable conditions.

Wheat continues to dominate rabi sowing, with coverage reaching 275.66 lakh hectares, up from 258.48 lakh hectares last year, an increase of over 17 lakh hectares. Rice sowing under the rabi season has also seen a rise, touching 12.44 lakh hectares compared to 10.64 lakh hectares during the corresponding period of 2024–25.

Key Crop Highlights:

• Pulses: Pulses have recorded steady growth, with area coverage increasing to 117.11 lakh hectares from 115.41 lakh hectares last year. Among pulses, gram showed a notable rise, with sowing expanding to 84.91 lakh hectares, an increase of 3.24 lakh hectares over the previous year. Lentil sowing remained largely stable at 14.60 lakh hectares, while some decline was observed in urdbean, moongbean and field pea.
• Oilseeds: Oilseeds Sowing surpassed 89 lakh hectares (89.79 lakh ha), registering a gain of 2.70 lakh hectares. Rapeseed and mustard led the growth in this segment, with sowing rising by 3.51 lakh hectares to reach 84.67 lakh hectares. However, groundnut and linseed reported a decline in area coverage.
• Shri Anna & Coarse Cereals: Coverage under Shri Anna and coarse cereals stood at 41.77 lakh hectares, slightly higher than 41.13 lakh hectares reported during the same period last year. While maize recorded a significant increase of 1.61 lakh hectares, jowar acreage declined marginally. Barley sowing also showed a modest rise, reaching 6.78 lakh hectares.

The overall progress bodes well for food security, particularly in pulses and oilseeds, where India aims to reduce import dependency. Officials attribute the higher acreage to favourable weather conditions, adequate soil moisture and timely availability of inputs.

Sowing activities are expected to continue, potentially pushing the final area closer to or beyond last season's record 659.39 lakh hectares, depending on weather in the coming weeks.