New Delhi: The total area sown under kharif crops in the current season so far is estimated at 658.19 lakh hectares as on July 17, compared with 700.47 lakh hectares in the same period last year, according to data released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare on Tuesday.
The official figures show that the area under rice is 166.41 lakh hectares so far this year, compared with 167.83 lakh hectares during the same period last year. The decline in the area sown is attributed to the deficient monsoon this year following the adverse impact of the El Nino weather pattern.
Similarly, the area under pulses such as Urd and Moong is lower at 69.23 lakh hectares compared with 81.52 lakh hectares during the same period last year.
The area under coarse cereals or millets such as jowar, bajra and ragi has been estimated at 98.69 lakh hectares so far during the current season, also lower than 127.30 lakh hectares in the same period of the previous year.
The area under sugarcane, an annual crop sown earlier, has reached 119.03 lakh hectares so far, compared with 134.09 lakh hectares for the same period of the previous year.
Meanwhile, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved an increase in the Minimum Support Prices (MSP) for 14 kharif crops for the Marketing Season 2026–27 to ensure remunerative prices for farmers.
The increase in MSP for kharif crops for Marketing Season 2026–27 is in line with the Union Budget 2018–19 announcement to fix the MSP at least 1.5 times the all-India weighted average cost of production.
The expected margin for farmers over their cost of production is highest for Moong (61 per cent), followed by Bajra (56 per cent), Maize (56 per cent), and Tur/Arhar (54 per cent).
For the rest of the crops, the margin to farmers over their cost of production is estimated at 50 per cent, the statement explained.
In recent years, the Government has been promoting the cultivation of crops other than cereals such as pulses and oilseeds, and Nutri-cereals/Shree Anna, by offering a higher MSP for these crops.
(IANS)
