Kedia Advisory - In Karnataka, the ongoing Kharif 2025 season shows a clear shift in sowing trends as maize and cotton gain more acreage, while pulses and oilseeds trail last year’s levels. As of July 5, 50.57 lakh hectares have been sown, about 61% of the season’s target. Favourable rainfall, surplus by 4% so far, has supported maize expansion, which is up 14.6% year-on-year. Cotton and sugarcane areas have also increased. Weak prices and higher supplies are discouraging pulses sowing, with tur area down 21%. Oilseeds are also lagging. Farmers are leaning towards more remunerative crops this season
Key Highlights:
Maize area jumps 14.6% to 13.98 lakh hectares in Karnataka.Cotton and sugarcane sowing gain ground over last year’s levels.Pulses acreage dips 13% as prices remain under pressure.Oilseeds lag, with groundnut and soyabean area trailing last year.Favourable monsoon with 4% surplus rainfall boosts kharif coverage.
Maize and cotton are the clear winners this kharif season in Karnataka as farmers prefer crops with better price prospects amid surplus rainfall conditions. According to the latest crop sowing data, as of July 5, about 50.57 lakh hectares have been covered under various kharif crops, accounting for 61% of the state’s seasonal target of 82.50 lakh hectares.
Cereal acreage is being led by maize, which has emerged as the biggest gainer this year. Farmers have planted maize on 13.98 lakh hectares, marking a robust 14.6% rise from last year’s 12.20 lakh hectares and an impressive 68% surge over the normal average for this time. Other cereals like paddy, jowar, bajra, ragi, and minor millets are trailing last year’s levels despite adequate rainfall, which has been 4% above normal at 252 mm for the period of June 1 to July 5.
Pulses, on the other hand, are seeing lower sowing due to continued weak prices and abundant supplies in the market. Overall, pulses acreage is down 13%, with tur dropping sharply by 21% year-on-year to 9.88 lakh hectares. However, tur acreage still remains significantly above the normal for this period. Blackgram sowing remains unchanged, while greengram has seen a marginal rise.
Oilseeds acreage has also fallen behind, with groundnut and soyabean areas lower than last year. Meanwhile, cotton and sugarcane farmers are expanding cultivation, supported by stable prices and favorable returns. Cotton sowing stands at 6.11 lakh hectares, up from 5.47 lakh hectares, while sugarcane has reached 6.13 lakh hectares versus 5.42 lakh hectares last year.
Finally
Karnataka’s farmers are clearly shifting to crops offering better prices, with maize and cotton gaining ground, while pulses and oilseeds face a challenging season.
