Oilseed Crops Also in Urgent Need of Rain

16-Sep-2026 05:52 PM

New Delhi. Sowing of Kharif oilseed crops is nearing completion; despite an increase in the acreage for sesame and sunflower, the total area under cultivation has seen a slight decline due to a reduction in the area dedicated to soybean, groundnut, and castor.

The total area under oilseed crops stands at 193.90 lakh hectares, just 17,000 hectares less than the 194.07 lakh hectares sown last year. During the period under review, the area under soybean dropped from 123.06 lakh hectares to 122.08 lakh hectares,

castor acreage fell from 9.31 lakh hectares to 8.36 lakh hectares, and the groundnut sowing area slipped from 50.66 lakh hectares to 50.45 lakh hectares. Conversely, the area under sunflower rose from 67,000 hectares to 1.29 lakh hectares, and the area under sesame surged from 9.64 lakh hectares to 11.02 lakh hectares.

Although the condition of oilseed crops is reported to be better in states like Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan due to normal rainfall, crops in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, and parts of Gujarat are in urgent need of heavy rain. Oilseed crops in these regions remain at risk.