Kharif rice sowing up; cotton and oilseed sowing down

New Delhi.Rice sowing this kharif season is up 12 percent so far at 364.80 lakh hectares, according to government data.

Rice sowing – the main kharif (summer) crop – stood at 325.36 lakh hectares during the same period last year.

The Department of Agriculture has released progress data on kharif sowing area as of August 8, 2025.

The total sowing area of all kharif crops rose to 995.63 lakh hectares as of August 8, from 957.15 lakh hectares a year earlier, an official statement said on Monday. The area sown to pulses increased slightly to 106.68 lakh hectares from 106.52 lakh hectares, while the area sown to fodder grains increased to 178.73 lakh hectares from 170.96 lakh hectares.

In the non-food grains category, the area sown to oilseeds decreased to 175.61 lakh hectares from 182.43 lakh hectares.

The area under cotton decreased from 110.49 lakh hectares to 106.96 lakh hectares. However, sugarcane sowing was slightly higher, at 57.31 lakh hectares compared to 55.68 lakh hectares in the year-ago period.

The India Meteorological Department has forecast the overall monsoon to be above normal this year. PTI