Kharif sowing has begun slowly, with 7.25 million hectares planted by June 5, about 200,000 hectares less than the same period last year.
El Niño conditions have raised concerns over the southwest monsoon, with IMD projecting seasonal rainfall at 90% of the Long Period Average.
About 200 districts have been flagged by the agriculture ministry for possible El Niño-linked stress.
Early soil moisture deficits have emerged in parts of Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and the northeast.
Cotton sowing has fallen sharply from 972,000 hectares last year to 751,000 hectares this year, while rice sowing is slightly ahead but still at an early stage.
Kharif sowing has begun on a slower note in India, with farmers planting 7.25 million hectares by June 5, 2026 about 200,000 hectares less than the same period last year, according to data from the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
The early numbers come as El Niño conditions raise concerns over the progress and spread of the southwest monsoon, which is crucial for India’s kharif crops. The United States’ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration formally declared on June 11, 2026 that El Niño had set in.
The India Meteorological Department’s long-range forecast, issued on May 29, 2026, had already projected seasonal rainfall at 90 per cent of the Long Period Average (LPA), with a 60 per cent probability of deficient rainfall. The LPA is the rainfall recorded over a region over several decades and is used as the benchmark for monsoon forecasts.
About 200 districts have been flagged by the agriculture ministry for possible El Niño-linked stress. Weekly rainfall between May 28 and June 3 was 10 per cent below the LPA, an early indication that monsoon rainfall has not yet met the level farmers need.
Rice, one of India’s most important kharif crops, has seen 285,000 hectares sown so far, slightly higher than 265,000 hectares at the same time last year. But paddy planting is still at an early stage. Rice has a normal kharif area of about 412,000 hectares, and the bulk of sowing will depend critically on the monsoon’s pace and spread.
Other key kharif crops, including pulses, oilseeds, maize and cotton, are also in their early stages, with planting yet to gain momentum as the monsoon advances. The season, however, is already unfolding under the shadow of a potentially powerful El Niño.
Kharif planting usually accelerates as the monsoon advances across central, western and northern India.
Satellite-based soil moisture data for the week of May 30 to June 5 shows early signs of stress in several regions. About 55-60 per cent of India’s net sown area is rainfed, making it heavily dependent on the monsoon. This means delayed or uneven rainfall can quickly affect sowing decisions, crop choices and early crop growth across large parts of the country.
Soil moisture is important because it indicates whether the soil has enough water for seed germination and crop growth. Pockets of Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, southern Karnataka, western Maharashtra, southern West Bengal, parts of Andhra Pradesh and several north-eastern districts are already drier than their 10-year average. These areas could face greater pressure if El Niño conditions weaken or delay monsoon rainfall.
By contrast, parts of north-eastern Bihar, northern West Bengal and Ladakh had better soil moisture than the decadal average.
Root-zone soil moisture was broadly close to the 10-year average in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana, northern and central Karnataka, Punjab, Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Jammu and Kashmir.
Of the total 7.25 million hectares sown so far, 5.4 million hectares is under sugarcane, which accounts for the bulk of early reported sowing. Pulses have been sown over 52,000 hectares, up from 35,000 hectares at the same stage last year.
Within pulses, the most widely consumed dal in the country, pigeon pea (arhar/tur), has reached 5,000 hectares, compared with 3,000 hectares last year. Black gram (urd/urad) stands at 10,000 hectares, up from 6,000 hectares. Green gram (moong/mung bean), however, is slightly behind last year, with 15,000 hectares sown compared with 17,000 hectares.
Maize sowing has also improved, reaching 38,000 hectares against 27,000 hectares last year. Oilseeds sowing has fallen by 10,000 hectares compared with the corresponding period last year. These are early numbers and will change as the monsoon advances, but pulses and oilseeds are among the crops most vulnerable to erratic or deficient rainfall as these are majorly sown in rainfed regions.
Cotton shows the sharpest decline among major crops. Sowing stood at 751,000 hectares as of June 5, compared with 972,000 hectares last year, a fall of 220,000 hectares. Whether this reflects delayed planting decisions or a deliberate reduction in area will become clearer as June progresses.
While yhe early sowing data is not yet enough to define the season, the combination of El Niño, below-normal early rainfall and soil moisture deficits has made the next few weeks critical.