Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Dec 16: India’s rabi sowing has gathered strong pace this winter, with the total area under cultivation rising by 24 lakh hectares to 536.76 lakh hectares as of December 5, compared to 512.76 lakh hectares during the same period last year, according to data released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

The expansion in acreage is expected to boost overall crop output, support farmer incomes, and help moderate food inflation in the coming months. Wheat continues to dominate rabi sowing, recording the sharpest rise among crops. The area under wheat increased by 17.18 lakh hectares, reaching 275.66 lakh hectares, up from 258.48 lakh hectares last year.

Pulses have also seen a modest rise, with crops such as urad, lentil (masur), and moong covering 117.11 lakh hectares, compared to 115.41 lakh hectares a year ago. Coarse cereals or millets — including jowar, bajra, and ragi — expanded slightly to 41.77 lakh hectares from 41.13 lakh hectares. Oilseeds, particularly rapeseed and mustard, recorded an increase of 2.7 lakh hectares, taking the total to 89.79 lakh hectares.

Officials attributed the higher sowing to favourable monsoon rainfall, which improved conditions in rain-fed areas that account for nearly half of India’s agricultural land. Adequate soil moisture has enabled farmers to bring more land under cultivation, especially in unirrigated regions.

To further encourage rabi production, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved higher Minimum Support Prices (MSP) for all mandated rabi crops for the 2026–27 marketing season on October 1. The MSP hike aims to ensure remunerative returns and allow farmers to plan cropping patterns well in advance of sowing.

Safflower saw the steepest MSP increase at Rs 600 per quintal, followed by lentil (masur) at Rs 300. MSPs for rapeseed and mustard, gram, barley, and wheat were raised by Rs 250, Rs 225, Rs 170, and Rs 160 per quintal, respectively.

The revised MSPs align with the Union Budget 2018–19 policy of fixing support prices at a minimum of 1.5 times the all-India weighted average cost of production. Under this framework, farmers are expected to earn margins of 109 per cent for wheat, 93 per cent for rapeseed and mustard, 89 per cent for lentil, 59 per cent for gram, 58 per cent for barley, and 50 per cent for safflower.

The government clarified that production costs include all paid and imputed expenses such as labour, machinery, inputs, irrigation, depreciation, interest on working capital, energy costs, and the value of family labour. The combination of higher acreage and improved price support is expected to strengthen rural incomes while promoting crop diversification in the rabi season.