The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare reported a decrease in the total area sown under kharif crops this season, standing at 531.25 lakh hectares as of July 10, compared to 632.69 lakh hectares last year. The area under rice is noted at 114.69 lakh hectares this year, down from 125.53 lakh hectares in the same period last year, attributed to the deficient monsoon.
Similarly, the area under pulses like urad and moong has also decreased to 56.63 lakh hectares from 73.85 lakh hectares last year. Coarse cereals or millets such as jowar, bajra, and ragi cover 98.69 lakh hectares this season, down from 127.30 lakh hectares last year.
Conversely, the area under sugarcane has increased to 57.58 lakh hectares from 56.72 lakh hectares last year. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved an increase in Minimum Support Prices for 14 Kharif Crops for Marketing Season 2026-27 to ensure better returns for farmers.
In line with the Union Budget 2018-19, the MSP for Kharif Crops for Marketing Season 2026-27 has been raised to at least 1.5 times the all-India weighted average cost of production. The government aims to provide farmers with a margin over their cost of production, with the highest expected margin for moong at 61 percent, followed by bajra, maize, and tur/arhar.
The government’s focus on promoting the cultivation of pulses, oilseeds, and nutri-cereals through higher MSPs has been evident in recent years.
