Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Aug 11: The total area sown under kharif crops in the current season is estimated at 967.92 lakh hectares as of August 7, compared with 985.89 lakh hectares during the corresponding 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 stood at 344.78 lakh hectares so far this year, compared with 360.67 lakh hectares during the same period last year, marking a decline of around 4.4 per cent.

The source attributed the decline to deficient monsoon rainfall this year following the adverse impact of the El Nino weather pattern.

The area under pulses such as urad and moong was marginally lower at 103.78 lakh hectares, compared with 105.73 lakh hectares during the corresponding period last year. Pulses generally require less water.

The area under coarse cereals or millets, including jowar, bajra and ragi, was estimated at 168.50 lakh hectares so far this season, compared with 173.21 lakh hectares during the same period last year.

The area under sugarcane, an annual crop sown earlier, stood at 58.31 lakh hectares, compared with 58.62 lakh hectares during the corresponding period of the previous year.

The area sown under cotton during the current kharif season was estimated at 106.01 lakh hectares, broadly unchanged from 106.42 lakh hectares recorded during the same period last 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 of fixing MSP at a level of at least 1.5 times the all-India weighted average cost of production.

The expected margin for farmers over their cost of production is estimated to be highest in the case of moong at 61 per cent, followed by bajra at 56 per cent, maize at 56 per cent and tur/arhar at 54 per cent.

For the remaining crops, the margin over the cost of production is estimated at 50 per cent, the statement said.

In recent years, the government has also been promoting the cultivation of crops other than cereals, including pulses, oilseeds and nutri-cereals/Shree Anna, by offering higher MSPs for these crops.