Cotton Sowing Reaches 103.54 Lakh Hectares by July 31; Oilseed Acreage Increases
According to Kharif sowing data released by the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare for the period ending July 31, 2026, cotton sowing in the country has covered 103.54 lakh hectares. This is 2.52 lakh hectares less than the 106.06 lakh hectares recorded during the same period last year. Meanwhile, sowing has been completed on approximately 82.5% of the normal sown area of 125.51 lakh hectares.
Concurrently, total oilseed sowing has been recorded at 172.32 lakh hectares, an increase of 1.19 lakh hectares compared to the 171.13 lakh hectares sown last year. This indicates that the acreage for oilseed crops this season has improved relative to the previous year.
Among oilseed crops, soybean accounted for the largest area at 117.68 lakh hectares, which is 0.84 lakh hectares less than the 118.52 lakh hectares recorded last year. However, the decline has been marginal, and soybean continues to make the largest contribution to the total oilseed area.
Additionally, groundnut sowing stood at 43.06 lakh hectares, up by 1.16 lakh hectares from last year's 41.90 lakh hectares. Sesame acreage was 9.27 lakh hectares, an increase of 1.10 lakh hectares over the previous year's 8.17 lakh hectares. Meanwhile, sunflower acreage stood at 0.98 lakh hectares, marking an increase of 0.40 lakh hectares compared to the 0.58 lakh hectares recorded last year.
On the other hand, castor sowing stood at 1.13 lakh hectares, a decrease of 0.66 lakh hectares from the 1.79 lakh hectares recorded last year. The acreage for Niger also saw a marginal decline to 0.10 lakh hectares, while the area under other oilseed crops was recorded at 0.10 lakh hectares.
With the monsoon becoming active across most parts of the country, further changes may be observed in the final sowing figures for cotton and oilseeds in the coming weeks. Currently, the total oilseed acreage exceeds that of the previous year, whereas the area under cotton and soybean remains lower compared to last year.
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