Overview
- Official Union Agriculture Ministry data show area sown for rabi crops stood at 37.56 lakh hectares as of October 30, 2026, down about 46% from a year earlier and leaving wheat nearly absent with just 19,000 hectares sown.
- The shortfall follows a June–September monsoon that was roughly 13% below normal and persistent high daytime temperatures that cut residual soil moisture before planting began.
- Rajasthan is among the worst affected, with the state reporting a more than 20% monsoon deficit and IMD district-level shortfalls up to about 58%, leaving unirrigated farmers unable to start sowing.
- Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has directed officials to speed up sowing, promote lower‑water and heat‑tolerant crops and seeds, and mobilize certified seed and fertiliser supplies to districts.
- Only irrigated areas have been able to plant crops such as mustard so far, which may push farmers toward pulses and millets and could pressure cereal supplies and food prices if planting does not recover in coming weeks.