Rabi Sowing Lags 17% as Wheat, Pulses and Oilseeds Decline by Amit Gupta, Kedia Advisory
India’s rabi sowing stood at 108.66 lakh hectares as of November 6, 2026, down 17.21% from 131.26 lakh hectares during the corresponding period last year. Wheat acreage declined 12.02% to 19.77 lakh hectares, while total pulses area fell 14.39% to 31.93 lakh hectares. Oilseed coverage registered a sharper 23.61% decline to 42.08 lakh hectares, led by a 25.39% drop in rapeseed and mustard sowing. Gram acreage decreased 21.61%. However, rice, groundnut, lentil and linseed recorded higher coverage. The overall shortfall highlights slower progress in major rabi crop planting this season.
Key highlights
* Total rabi sowing declined 17.21% to 108.66 lakh hectares against 131.26 lakh hectares last year.
* Wheat acreage fell 12.02% to 19.77 lakh hectares from 22.47 lakh hectares.
* Total pulses coverage decreased 14.39% to 31.93 lakh hectares, with gram down 21.61%.
* Oilseed sowing declined 23.61% to 42.08 lakh hectares, while rapeseed and mustard fell 25.39%.
* Groundnut, rice, lentil and linseed recorded higher acreage than the corresponding period last year.
India’s rabi crop sowing reached 108.66 lakh hectares as of November 6, 2026, compared with 131.26 lakh hectares during the corresponding period last year, registering a decline of 17.21%, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. The overall coverage remains lower across major crop categories, with wheat, pulses and oilseeds recording significant shortfalls. The report provides acreage data and does not include crop prices.
Wheat sowing stood at 19.77 lakh hectares, down 12.02% from 22.47 lakh hectares a year earlier. Total pulses coverage declined 14.39% to 31.93 lakh hectares against 37.30 lakh hectares. Within pulses, gram acreage fell 21.61% to 21.36 lakh hectares, while lentil sowing increased 3.60% to 4.54 lakh hectares. Urad and moong coverage rose 27.20% and 18.33%, respectively.
The oilseeds segment recorded a sharper contraction, with total acreage falling 23.61% to 42.08 lakh hectares from 55.09 lakh hectares. Rapeseed and mustard, the largest oilseed category, declined 25.39% to 40.31 lakh hectares compared with 54.02 lakh hectares last year. Sunflower acreage also decreased 13.91%, while groundnut coverage increased 54.39% to 0.47 lakh hectares. Linseed sowing more than doubled to 0.96 lakh hectares, up 109.01%.
Among other crops, rice acreage increased 3.10% to 6.73 lakh hectares, whereas maize declined 23.14% to 2.49 lakh hectares. Shri Anna and coarse cereals coverage fell 17.47% to 8.15 lakh hectares.
The substantial acreage gap in wheat, pulses and oilseeds warrants close monitoring, as subsequent sowing progress will be important for assessing the season’s crop outlook.
Above views are of the author and not of the website kindly read disclaimer
