Strong Monsoon Boosts Kharif Sowing in Maharashtra; Coverage Reaches 45% in One Week
By jayesh chouhan 2026-07-11 11:20:04
Strong Monsoon Accelerates Kharif Sowing in Maharashtra; Coverage Jumps from 20% to 45% in a Week
Nashik: An active monsoon and consistent, good rainfall across Maharashtra have accelerated the sowing of Kharif crops. According to the latest data from the State Agriculture Department, Kharif sowing coverage rose from 20% of the total acreage on July 1 to 45% by July 7. Officials state that if the current rainfall pattern continues, sowing operations will gain further momentum.
Sowing has been completed on approximately 6.5 million (65 lakh) hectares out of the state's average Kharif area of 14.4 million (144 lakh) hectares (excluding sugarcane). Division-wise, Amravati leads the state with 58% of its area sown. This is followed by Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar at 53% and the Nashik division at 50%.
The Nashik division—comprising Nashik, Dhule, Jalgaon, and Nandurbar districts—has witnessed a significant surge in sowing following recent rains. Here, sowing has been completed on approximately 1.02 million (10.24 lakh) hectares out of an average Kharif area of 2.03 million (20.33 lakh) hectares. Conversely, the pace of sowing remains slow in the Konkan region, with only 4% coverage recorded against an average area of 0.39 million (3.92 lakh) hectares. Sowing completion stands at 28% in the Pune division and 22% in the Kolhapur division.
Soybean, cotton, maize, paddy, sorghum (jowar), pearl millet (bajra), green gram (moong), and black gram (urad) are the major Kharif crops in Maharashtra. Soybean and cotton dominate the landscape, together accounting for over 62% of the state's total Kharif acreage. Soybean sowing has been completed on 2.36 million (23.58 lakh) hectares—approximately 50%—of the estimated 4.72 million (47.21 lakh) hectare area. Meanwhile, cotton sowing has been completed across 25.38 lakh hectares—approximately 60% of the target area of 42.47 lakh hectares.
Maize sowing is also progressing well; so far, planting has been completed on 5.71 lakh hectares (61%) out of the estimated 9.33 lakh hectares. However, paddy transplantation is still in its initial stage, with work completed on only 1.40 lakh hectares (9%) out of the estimated 15.02 lakh hectares.
Maharashtra recorded 290.7 mm of rainfall between June 1 and July 7, which is 103% of the normal 282.3 mm. The Agriculture Department believes that if this trend of above-normal rainfall continues, sowing for the Kharif season will be completed on time, and production prospects will be bolstered.
