New Delhi, June 22: India has reported a significant increase in the total area under Kharif crops for the current season, reaching 11.99 million hectares as of June 19. This marks an increase from 11.79 million hectares during the same period last year, according to data released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare on Monday.
As per government statistics, the area under rice cultivation has risen to 1.236 million hectares, up by 427,000 hectares compared to 809,000 hectares last year.
The area for pulses, including urad and moong, has also seen growth, increasing to 721,000 hectares from 639,000 hectares during the same timeframe last year.
Furthermore, the cultivation area for coarse cereals such as jowar, bajra, and ragi has expanded to 1.243 million hectares, compared to 982,000 hectares last year.
Sugarcane cultivation has also increased, now covering 5.731 million hectares, up from 5.664 million hectares during the same period last year.
Recently, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved an increase in the minimum support price (MSP) for 14 Kharif crops for the marketing season 2026-27.
This increase aligns with the announcement made in the Union Budget 2018-19, which stated that MSP should be set at least 1.5 times the all-India average production cost. The estimated margin for farmers is highest for moong at 61%, followed by bajra and maize at 56%, and tur/arhar at 54%.
The government has projected that for other crops, the margin for farmers will remain around 50% based on production costs.
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