Sonepat transplants paddy in earnest, as monsoon returns

Paddy is the main Kharif crop in Sonepat and neighbouring Panipat districts of Haryana

Paddy transplantation has begun in earnest in Sonepat, part of the National Capital Region.Photo: Vikas Choudhary/CSE

Published on:

21 Jul 2026, 11:15 am

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Farm workers in Haryana’s Sonepat plant paddy in earnest as the southwest monsoon, stalled for over a week in July, seems to have returned over the plains of northern India.

Paddy is the main Kharif crop in Sonepat and neighbouring Panipat districts of Haryana.Photo: Vikas Choudhary/CSE

Paddy is the main Kharif crop in Sonepat and neighbouring Panipat districts. The Haryana Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Department has set a target of bringing 3.40 lakh acres under paddy cultivation in Sonepat during the Kharif season 2026. Panipat has been assigned a target of 1.82 lakh acres.

While paddy sowing has been hit this season across India, it remains to be seen what the actual picture will be like at the end of the monsoon. Photo: Vikas Choudhary/CSE

Paddy sowing this Kharif season is facing significant challenges due to uneven rainfall and drought-like conditions in critical growing belts like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Jharkhand.

Monsoon deficits have hit over 300 districts, severely affecting key rice-producing areas along the Ganga basin. Total Kharif planting has been reported up to 16 per cent lower than at the same point in previous years, placing stress on irrigation and farming costs.

Haryana