The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare has released its latest update on the progress of kharif crop sowing across India as of June 20, 2025. The data shows a promising start to the season, with the total area sown reaching 137.84 lakh hectares — marking an increase of nearly 13 lakh hectares compared to the same period in 2024.
Data from the Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare reveals a significant increase in rice sowing this year, covering 13.22 lakh hectares compared to 8.37 lakh hectares last year—an impressive rise of 4.86 lakh hectares.
Pulses cultivation has also seen a notable increase, with 9.44 lakh hectares sown this season—up by 2.80 lakh hectares compared to 2024. Among individual pulse crops, urd bean acreage grew by 0.77 lakh hectares, and moong bean surged by 1.77 lakh hectares. However, arhar experienced a slight decline of 0.13 lakh hectares. Other pulses such as mothbean, kulthi, and sesamum recorded modest increases.
Coarse cereals, now classified under the newly rebranded “Shri Anna” category, recorded sowing over 18.03 lakh hectares, marking an increase of 3.25 lakh hectares compared to last year. Maize led the segment with 12.32 lakh hectares sown, reflecting a growth of 2.01 lakh hectares. Bajra and jowar also experienced increases, while ragi and small millets saw slight declines.
In contrast, oilseeds experienced a slight overall decline, with 5.38 lakh hectares sown this year compared to 5.49 lakh hectares in 2024. While groundnut and soybean sowing dipped marginally, crops such as sesamum and sunflower recorded modest gains.
Sugarcane maintained its strong performance, with an area coverage of 55.07 lakh hectares, marking an increase of 0.20 lakh hectares over last year. In contrast, jute and mesta saw a slight decline, with sown area decreasing by 0.17 lakh hectares.
Cotton sowing has shown a strong uptick, covering 31.25 lakh hectares this year compared to 29.12 lakh hectares in 2024 — a notable increase of 2.14 lakh hectares.
Overall, the 2025 kharif season has begun on a strong note, with total sowing across all major crops reaching 137.84 lakh hectares, up from 124.88 lakh hectares during the same period last year — reflecting a promising year for Indian agriculture.
Comment here