New Delhi: The total area sown under rabi crops in the ongoing winter season has increased by 24 lakh hectares to 536.76 lakh hectares as on December 5 this year, compared to 512.76 lakh hectares during the corresponding period last year, according to data released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare on Tuesday.
The higher sown area is expected to translate into increased agricultural output, which could boost farmers’ incomes and help keep food inflation under control.
Official data shows that the area under wheat has registered a significant rise of 17.18 lakh hectares, reaching 275.66 lakh hectares, compared to 258.48 lakh hectares during the same period last year.
The area under pulses, including urad, lentils (masur) and moong, has increased to 117.11 lakh hectares from 115.41 lakh hectares a year ago.
Sowing under coarse cereals or millets such as jowar, bajra and ragi has also gone up marginally by 0.64 lakh hectares to 41.77 lakh hectares in the current season, compared to 41.13 lakh hectares in the corresponding period last year.
Similarly, the area under oilseeds, including rapeseed and mustard, has expanded by 2.7 lakh hectares to 89.79 lakh hectares from 87.1 lakh hectares during the same period last year.
The increase in rabi sowing has been aided by better monsoon rainfall, which facilitated cultivation in unirrigated areas that account for nearly 50 per cent of the country’s total farmland.
Earlier, on October 1, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved an increase in the minimum support prices (MSP) for all mandated rabi crops for the 2026–27 marketing season to ensure remunerative prices for farmers. MSPs are announced well in advance of the sowing season to enable farmers to plan their cropping patterns accordingly.
The highest MSP hike has been announced for safflower at ₹600 per quintal, followed by lentil (masur) at ₹300 per quintal. Rapeseed and mustard, gram, barley and wheat have seen MSP increases of ₹250 per quintal, ₹225 per quintal, ₹170 per quintal and ₹160 per quintal, respectively.
The MSP increases for the 2026–27 marketing season are in line with the Union Budget 2018–19 announcement of fixing MSPs at a level of at least 1.5 times the all-India weighted average cost of production. The expected margins over the cost of production are 109 per cent for wheat, 93 per cent for rapeseed and mustard, 89 per cent for lentil, 59 per cent for gram, 58 per cent for barley and 50 per cent for safflower.
According to the official statement, the cost of production includes all paid-out expenses such as hired labour, machine and bullock labour, rent for leased land, input costs for seeds, fertilisers and manures, irrigation charges, depreciation on implements and farm buildings, interest on working capital, fuel and electricity for pump sets, miscellaneous expenses and the imputed value of family labour.
With inputs from IANS