Kharif sowing covers 932.9 lakh hectares, up from last year: MoS Agriculture

New Delhi, Aug 8 (PTI) Minister of State for Agriculture Ramnath Thakur on Friday said normal sowing has been reported across the country in all major kharif crops with the advancement and full coverage of monsoon.

As on August 1, 2025, the progressive area sown in kharif season 2025 under foodgrains, oilseeds and commercial crops stands at 932.93 lakh hectares, compared to 887.97 lakh hectares during the corresponding period of the previous year, the minister said.

During June 1 to August 4, 2025, the country received 500.8 mm rainfall against the normal of 481.9 mm, recording a surplus of 4 per cent, he said.

However, the distribution of rains remains uneven, the minister said, adding that early sowing has been witnessed in southern, central and western parts of the country while delayed sowing has been witnessed in eastern, northeastern and parts of southern states.

Replying to another query, Thakur said sowing operations for Kharif 2025-26 are still underway and the first advance estimates for all major kharif crops in the 2025-26 agricultural year (July-June) have not yet been released. PTI LUX TRB