Kharif Pulses Planting Nearly Matches Last Year as Monsoon Recovery Continue

India’s kharif pulses sowing has almost caught up with the previous season as of 14 August 2026, reflecting improved rainfall in several growing regions after earlier delays.

Total pulses area stands at 10.81 million hectares, only 0.04 million hectares (0.37%) below the 10.85 million hectares recorded at the same time last year. Within the group, performance varies sharply. Urad has shown the strongest recovery, rising 0.27 million hectares (13%) to 2.35 million hectares from 2.08 million hectares a year ago. Moth bean also edged higher. In contrast, tur remains lower at 4.03 million hectares against 4.20 million hectares last year (down 4%), while moong is down 0.13 million hectares (3.9%) at 3.21 million hectares. Other pulses also registered a modest decline.

Overall kharif planting across all crops is running about 2% behind last year’s pace, with the grand total at 101.66 million hectares versus 103.75 million hectares. The near-parity in pulses acreage is a positive signal for domestic supply, though final output will depend on residual August–September rains and crop conditions during critical growth stages, particularly for tur.