In which season is rice grown in India?

Rice is chiefly a kharif crop — transplanted with the southwest monsoon in June–July and harvested in October–November. Irrigated rabi and summer rice are also grown in some regions.

What is the MSP of paddy?

The MSP for common paddy is ₹2,441 per quintal for the Kharif Marketing Season 2026–27, and ₹2,461 for Grade A, approved by the CCEA on 13 May 2026. Both are ₹72 above the previous season.

What is the cost of cultivation of paddy per quintal?

CACP puts the cost of producing common paddy at ₹1,627 per quintal for 2026–27. That covers paid-out expenses — hired labour, machine hire, seed, fertiliser, irrigation and interest on working capital — plus the imputed value of family labour, but not the rental value of owned land.

What is the rice yield per acre in India?

India's average rice yield is 2,882 kg per hectare, or about 11.7 quintals per acre — but that figure is milled rice, which is how India reports rice production. Because milling recovers roughly two-thirds of paddy weight, the same acre carries on the order of 17 quintals of paddy, which is the form MSP is paid on.

How much profit is there in paddy farming per acre?

About ₹814 per quintal over the cost of production at the ₹2,441 MSP. On an average acre carrying roughly 17 quintals of paddy that is about ₹14,200. Yields differ so much between irrigated and rainfed districts that it is worth calculating from your own harvest.

Which is the largest rice-producing state in India?

Telangana is the leading rice producer, followed by Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Punjab and Madhya Pradesh (DES crop data, 2022–23).

How much rice does India produce?

India produced a record 137.8 million tonnes of rice in 2023–24 (Final Estimates) and is the world's second-largest producer after China.

Is India the largest exporter of rice?

Yes — India is the world's largest rice exporter, shipping both basmati and non-basmati rice worldwide.

Kharif

Rice (Paddy)

Oryza sativa · Poaceae (grasses)

India's most widely grown food crop, the defining staple of the monsoon (kharif) season, and the world's most-traded rice.

Production · Rice (Paddy)

137.8 MT

1,378.25 lakh tonnes — record, 2023–24 Final Estimates

Source: DA&FW Final Estimates 2023–24 (PIB)
2023–24

Key figures

MSP · common

₹2,441

per quintal of paddy

CCEA / CACP (PIB) · KMS 2026–27

MSP · Grade A

₹2,461

per quintal of paddy

CCEA / CACP (PIB) · KMS 2026–27

Cost of production

₹1,627

per quintal (A2+FL), common paddy

CACP via CCEA (PIB) · KMS 2026–27

Area

47.83 M ha

area under rice — the largest of any Indian crop

DES — Agricultural Statistics at a Glance 2024 · 2023–24

Yield

2,882 kg/ha

11.7 quintals per acre of MILLED rice

DES — Agricultural Statistics at a Glance 2024 · 2023–24

World producer

No. 2

after China

FAOSTAT · reference

World exporter

No. 1

largest rice exporter

APEDA · reference

Top state

Telangana

leading — 17.21 MT

DES crop APY database · 2022–23

Growing season

Kharif

Jun–Oct

DA&FW · reference

About rice

Rice — cultivated as paddy — is India's most widely grown food crop and the defining staple of the monsoon (kharif) season across the east, south, and coastal regions.

It is chiefly a kharif crop, transplanted with the arrival of the southwest monsoon and harvested in autumn, though irrigated rabi and summer rice are grown in parts of the country. The 2023–24 crop was a record.

India is the world's second-largest rice producer after China, and its single largest exporter — shipping both premium basmati and non-basmati rice to markets across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.

Where it’s grown

Leading producing states

1Telangana17.21 MT
2Uttar Pradesh16.56 MT
3West Bengal15.84 MT
4Punjab13.75 MT
5Madhya Pradesh13.13 MT

Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal lead, each around 16–17 MT. These are DES crop-database (APY) state figures for 2022–23 and are not reconciled to the national Final Estimate.

DES crop APY database · 2022–23

How it’s grown

Season: Kharif (monsoon); some rabi/summer rice
Sowing: June–July (transplanted with the monsoon)
Harvest: October–November
Climate: Warm and humid; sustained high temperatures
Water: High; typically grown in flooded/puddled fields

Major varieties

Swarna (MTU 7029)

The dominant non-basmati variety of eastern India; medium-duration and flood-tolerant.

Samba Mahsuri (BPT 5204)

A fine-grain variety widely grown in the south.

Pusa Basmati 1121

A leading aromatic basmati variety, prized in export markets.

Pusa Basmati 1509

An early-maturing basmati variety popular in the north-west.

IR64

A widely grown, widely exported non-basmati variety.

Widely grown released varieties (not an area-ranked list). Swarna (MTU 7029) is among the most widely grown non-basmati varieties in eastern India. ICAR-IIRR — rice varieties.

Economics & trade

Paddy is priced each kharif season through the Minimum Support Price. For the 2026–27 marketing season the MSP is ₹2,441 per quintal for common paddy and ₹2,461 for Grade A, each ₹72 above the previous season.

What an acre earns over cost. CACP puts the cost of producing common paddy at ₹1,627 per quintal for 2026–27 — paid-out expenses plus the imputed value of family labour, the A2+FL concept. Every quintal sold at MSP therefore returns about ₹814 over that cost. India's average rice yield is 2,882 kg per hectare — about 11.7 quintals per acre — but that is MILLED rice, and MSP is paid on paddy. Since milling recovers roughly two-thirds of paddy weight, an average acre carries on the order of 17 quintals of paddy, worth about ₹14,200 over cost at MSP. That paddy conversion is ours, not an official figure; yields also swing widely between irrigated Punjab, the canal-fed deltas and rainfed eastern districts, so work from your own harvest.

Paddy is at the statutory floor; wheat is far above it. The MSP formula guarantees at least 1.5 times the cost of production. Common paddy's margin for 2026–27 is exactly 50% — the minimum the formula allows — while wheat carries 109% and bajra, maize and moong sit at 54–61%. Paddy is the most procured crop in the country and the one held closest to the floor.

One number that is easy to get wrong. India's official production figure — 137.8 million tonnes — is *milled rice*, whereas MSP, cost and mandi trade are all in *paddy* (unmilled). Milling recovers roughly two-thirds of paddy weight, so a per-acre calculation that multiplies a milled-rice yield by the paddy MSP overstates the return badly. Keep the two in the same units.

Rice is central to India's food security and public distribution, and the country is the world's largest rice exporter — premium basmati, grown mainly in the north-west, is a major agricultural foreign-exchange earner alongside non-basmati shipments.

Uses

The staple food grain for a majority of India's population.
A cornerstone of the public distribution system and food-security schemes.
Processed into rice flour, flattened/puffed rice, and used in brewing and starch; husk and straw serve as fuel and fodder.

Notable facts

India is the world's largest exporter of rice, even though China grows more of it.
Basmati rice carries a Geographical Indication (GI) tag protecting its Indian origin.
Rice is grown across an extraordinary range in India — from coastal deltas to Himalayan terraces.
Swarna (MTU 7029) is among the most widely grown non-basmati varieties in eastern India.

Frequently asked

In which season is rice grown in India?: Rice is chiefly a kharif crop — transplanted with the southwest monsoon in June–July and harvested in October–November. Irrigated rabi and summer rice are also grown in some regions.
What is the MSP of paddy?: The MSP for common paddy is ₹2,441 per quintal for the Kharif Marketing Season 2026–27, and ₹2,461 for Grade A, approved by the CCEA on 13 May 2026. Both are ₹72 above the previous season.
What is the cost of cultivation of paddy per quintal?: CACP puts the cost of producing common paddy at ₹1,627 per quintal for 2026–27. That covers paid-out expenses — hired labour, machine hire, seed, fertiliser, irrigation and interest on working capital — plus the imputed value of family labour, but not the rental value of owned land.
What is the rice yield per acre in India?: India's average rice yield is 2,882 kg per hectare, or about 11.7 quintals per acre — but that figure is milled rice, which is how India reports rice production. Because milling recovers roughly two-thirds of paddy weight, the same acre carries on the order of 17 quintals of paddy, which is the form MSP is paid on.
How much profit is there in paddy farming per acre?: About ₹814 per quintal over the cost of production at the ₹2,441 MSP. On an average acre carrying roughly 17 quintals of paddy that is about ₹14,200. Yields differ so much between irrigated and rainfed districts that it is worth calculating from your own harvest.
Which is the largest rice-producing state in India?: Telangana is the leading rice producer, followed by Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Punjab and Madhya Pradesh (DES crop data, 2022–23).
How much rice does India produce?: India produced a record 137.8 million tonnes of rice in 2023–24 (Final Estimates) and is the world's second-largest producer after China.
Is India the largest exporter of rice?: Yes — India is the world's largest rice exporter, shipping both basmati and non-basmati rice worldwide.