Wheat sowing up 2 pc to 334.17 lakh hectares till Jan 9 of current rabi season: Govt

New Delhi, Jan 12 (PTI) Area under coverage for wheat rose 2 per cent to 334.17 lakh hectares till January 9 of the ongoing rabi (winter-sown) season, according to the government data.

Wheat acreage stood at 328.04 lakh hectares in the same period of the preceding rabi season.

Sowing of wheat, a major rabi crop, generally starts from October. Better monsoon rains and increase in the minimum support price (MSP) by the government have encouraged farmers to increase sowing area.

In an official statement on Monday, the Union agriculture ministry released the progress of area coverage under rabi crops as on January 9, 2026.

As per the data, the area under coverage of paddy grew to 21.71 lakh hectares from 19.49 lakh hectares.

Pulses sowing area rose to 136.36 lakh hectares from 132.61 lakh hectares, while the area under coverage for Shri Anna and coarse cereals increased to 55.20 lakh hectares from 53.17 lakh hectares.

The acreage of oilseeds rose to 96.86 lakh hectares from 93.33 lakh hectares.

"Overall Rabi crop coverage reaches 644.29 Lakh Hectare reflecting steady progress of the season," the statement said.

The total area under coverage for all rabi crops stood at 626.64 lakh hectares in the preceding rabi season. PTI MJH MJH TRB