Rabi crop acreage records jump in 2024-25 but farmers continue to pick wheat over oilseeds

The overall acreage of Rabi (winter-sown) crops increased in 2024-25 compared to the previous crop year, with the sowing of wheat getting more attention compared to oilseeds.

The acreage of wheat increased by nearly 2.8% whereas it dipped by 4% for oilseeds in the current year compared to 2023-24, despite the government’s attempt to increase the sown area of oilseeds through various support in order to reduce the country’s import bills.

Overall, the acreage of all crops put together this year is around 656 lakh hectares compared to 644 lakh hectare in the previous year — an increase of 12 lakh hectare (nearly 2%) — with the sown area of wheat, the main Rabi crop, occupying nearly half of it at 324 lakh hectare compared to 315 lakh hectare in 2023-24.

The data released by the agriculture ministry at the end of the Rabi sowing season this week shows that the sown area of pulses rose by 3 lakh hectare — from 139 lakh hectar in 2023-24 to 142 lakh hectare in 2024-25.

The acreage of oilseeds, on the other hand, reported a decline of four lakh hectare (from 102 lakh hectare in 2023-24 to 98 lakh hectare in 2024-25) with rapeseed and mustard showing the biggest fall.

“Poor returns to farmers on oilseeds compared to competing crops such as wheat and pulses is the main reason behind it in the Rabi season. Price signal for wheat is positive currently, while it is either stable or negative for oilseeds,” former member of the Uttar Pradesh Planning Commission, Sudhir Panwar, said.

This article has been republished from The Times of India.