Progress of area coverage under summer crops as on 22 May 2026

📌 Summary:

• The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare released data on the progress of area coverage under summer crops as on 22 May 2026
• The total summer crop area sown this year is 83.92 lakh hectares, against 83.50 lakh hectares in the corresponding period last year — an increase of about 2.52 lakh hectares
• Rice: 33.28 lakh hectares this year, up from 32.42 lakh hectares in the corresponding period last year
• Pulses: 27.07 lakh hectares, including greengram at 23.49 lakh hectares and blackgram at 3.58 lakh hectares
• Shree Anna and coarse cereals: 14.06 lakh hectares, including maize at 8.50 lakh hectares and bajra at 5.20 lakh hectares
• Oilseeds: 9.51 lakh hectares, including groundnut at 4.20 lakh hectares and sesamum at 4.96 lakh hectares
• The data reflects the overall progress of the summer (zaid) cropping season relative to the normal area and the previous year

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS3 (Indian Economy / Agriculture) — cropping patterns, summer (zaid) crops, agricultural production trends and food security.

📝 Prelims Facts:

• Total summer crop area as on 22 May 2026: 83.92 lakh hectares
• Summer rice area: 33.28 lakh hectares; pulses: 27.07 lakh hectares; oilseeds: 9.51 lakh hectares
• "Shree Anna" refers to millets (nutri-cereals)
• Summer crops are also known as zaid crops, grown between the rabi and kharif seasons

🔑 Key Term: Zaid crops — short-duration crops grown in the summer season between the rabi (winter) and kharif (monsoon) cropping seasons, generally requiring irrigation; examples include moong, watermelon, cucumber and fodder crops.