Paddy acreage falls 4 per cent in 2026 kharif season

New Delhi, Sep 14 (PTI) Paddy sowing area has declined 4 per cent to 426.81 lakh hectares (ha) till September 11 in the ongoing 2026 kharif season due to lower acreage in many states, including Karnataka and Telangana, according to the Agriculture Ministry data.

The area under coverage for paddy stood at 443.78 lakh ha in the year-ago period.

The paddy acreage has declined in Karnataka by 4.54 lakh ha, Telangana (4.46 lakh ha), Andhra Pradesh (1.90 lakh ha), Uttar Pradesh (1.84 lakh ha), Madhya Pradesh (1.75 lakh ha), Tamil Nadu (1.40 lakh ha), Maharashtra (1.15 lakh ha), and Jharkhand (0.97 lakh ha).

Paddy, a major crop of Kharif (summer-sown) season, will be harvested from October.

As per the data, the area under coverage for pulses rose to 118.46 lakh ha from 116.79 lakh ha.

The acreage of Shri Anna and coarse cereals rose to 183.17 lakh ha from 182.48 lakh ha.

However, the oilseeds acreage fell to 193.90 lakh ha from 194.07 lakh ha while the area under coverage for cotton fell to 109.34 lakh ha from 110.31 lakh ha.

Sugarcane sowing area is too marginally down to 58.47 lakh ha from 58.87 lakh ha.

Overall, the area sown to all kharif crops stood lower at 1,096.49 lakh ha as on September 11, 2026, from 1,112.54 lakh ha in the corresponding period last year because of deficient rains in some parts of the country.