Kharif sowing has almost reached its final stage, and maize has clearly emerged as the season’s standout performer. While the early arrival of monsoon in Kerala had initially raised hopes for strong sowing across major crops, much of that optimism has faded. Except for maize, most crops have either shown sluggish growth or recorded declines in acreage.
According to Agriculture Ministry data released total kharif sowing stood at 1,115.86 lakh hectares (lh), marginally higher than last year’s 1,100.42 lh. The surge has been driven primarily by maize, which saw acreage rise by 12.6%—a record high. Experts attribute this shift to maize’s attractive market prices and its climate resilience, which has made it a safer bet for farmers.
Kharif Sowing Output Not as Per Expectations
By contrast, paddy sowing has almost stalled. Coverage increased by just 25,000 hectares in the past fortnight, compared to 11.4 lh during the same period last year, suggesting that the sowing season for the staple crop is effectively over. As of September 19, paddy acreage stood at 438.51 lh, only 2% higher than last year. The output is completely different from what was expected owing to the early monsoon outset.
In the pulses segment, urad recorded a 6.6% rise to 24.07 lh, while moong slipped marginally to 34.79 lh and arhar edged down to 46.10 lh. Overall pulses acreage improved slightly to 119.29 lh from 118.40 lh a year ago. The coarse/nutri cereals basket expanded 6.8% to 194.01 lh, driven by maize and ragi, though jowar and bajra remained nearly flat.
Oilseeds, cotton acreage decline
Owing to the favourable weather conditions and the reports that were coming as of June 2025, that the Kharif Crop Area Increased people assumed that the kharif sowing will be better than previous years. However, the outcomes are completely different from expectations. Oilseeds dropped 2.7% to 189.51 lh, led by a sharp 4.6% decline in soybean to 120.44 lh, though groundnut gained marginally to 48.14 lh. Cotton acreage slipped 2.5% to 109.9 lh. Sugarcane and jute planting has been completed, with sugarcane acreage at 59.07 lh, up from 57.22 lh, while jute declined slightly to 5.56 lh.
With the reports that Maize has outshined other crops with Kharif sowing coming nearly completion in India, it is very clear that record maize sowing reflects farmers’ shifting strategies towards crops that assure better returns and withstand erratic weather.