Progress of area coverage under Kharif crops as on 12.06.2026

📌 Summary:

• Ministry of Agriculture released Kharif sowing progress as on 12 June 2026; total area sown is 84.60 lakh hectare vs 88.04 lakh ha in 2025 — a decrease of 3.44 lakh ha
• Rice up: 4.98 lakh ha (2026) vs 3.88 lakh ha (2025), +1.09 lakh ha
• Pulses down: 1.55 lakh ha vs 2.73 lakh ha (-1.18 lakh ha), with moong the main drag
• Shri Anna / coarse cereals up: 4.77 vs 4.32 lakh ha (+0.45), led by bajra (+0.91 lakh ha)
• Oilseeds nearly flat: 3.51 vs 3.54 lakh ha; cotton fell sharply: 9.53 vs 13.19 lakh ha (-3.66 lakh ha) — the largest decline
• Early-season data reflects onset/spread of the monsoon; figures are provisional

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS3 Economy/Agriculture — cropping patterns, monsoon dependence, Kharif season trends and food/oilseed security

📝 Prelims Facts:

• "Shri Anna" = millets (nutri-cereals); bajra led the coarse-cereal gain
• Total Kharif area sown as on 12.06.2026: 84.60 lakh ha (down 3.44 lakh ha y-o-y)
• Cotton saw the steepest fall (-3.66 lakh ha); rice rose (+1.09 lakh ha)

🔑 Key Term: Kharif crops — monsoon-season crops sown around June–July and harvested in autumn (e.g., rice, bajra, cotton, soybean)