Urad Acreage Surges 8% Above Last Year as North India Sowing Accelerates
For the first time this kharif season, urad coverage has crossed last year's levels — reaching 18.67 lakh hectares as of July 24 — driven by a sharp sowing push in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan on the back of revived rains an
The short answer
Urad (black matpe) sowing has finally overtaken year-ago levels, with total kharif area rising to 18.67 lakh hectares as of July 24, 2026 — up 8 per cent from 17.27 lakh hectares a year earlier. The turnaround was led by a dramatic 75 per cent expansion in Uttar Pradesh and double-digit gains in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, where recent monsoon rains and high prevailing prices enticed farmers. However, southern states Maharashtra and Karnataka remain deep in deficit, with Maharashtra's urad coverage down 53 per cent year-on-year.
The turnaround
North India Sowing Sprint Pushes Urad Above Year-Ago Levels
After trailing last year's pace for most of the kharif season, urad sowing has finally moved into positive territory. Data released by the Agriculture Ministry on July 24, 2026 shows total urad area at 18.67 lakh hectares (lh), surpassing the 17.27 lh recorded at the same point last year — an 8 per cent improvement.
The pace of the catch-up has been striking. Just one week earlier, the crop stood at 13.51 lh against 14.36 lh a year ago — still in deficit. The addition of more than 5 lh in a single week reflects a concentrated burst of sowing activity across northern states as the monsoon gathered momentum. Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan together drove the bulk of this expansion.
State by state
UP Leads with 75% Jump; Maharashtra Remains a Deep Concern
The scale of regional divergence this season is sharp and consequential.
Northern gainers:
- Uttar Pradesh recorded the sharpest jump — up 75 per cent to 4.99 lh from 2.84 lh last year.
- Madhya Pradesh, the largest urad-producing state, expanded coverage by 13 per cent to 6.17 lh (from 5.48 lh).
- Rajasthan added over 16 per cent to reach 3.25 lh (2.79 lh), and Gujarat rose around 25 per cent to 0.49 lh (0.39 lh).
Southern laggards:
- Maharashtra — typically a significant urad belt — has seen acreage collapse by 53 per cent to just 1.6 lh against 3.43 lh last year, owing to the delayed and uneven monsoon onset.
- Karnataka is down roughly 24 per cent at 0.71 lh (0.94 lh).
Trade sources in the South say they expect only about a fourth of the normal urad crop from Maharashtra and Karnataka combined this year.
There's a good recovery in the acreage in the past two weeks due to pick up in rains in some states. Farmers are preferring to plant urad as prices are attractive.
Market drivers
Attractive Prices and Crop Characteristics Draw Farmers to Urad
The expansion in the north is not purely a weather story — economics and agronomy have played an equally important role.
Rahul Chauhan of IGrain India noted that prevailing high market prices have caught the attention of farmers in northern states. Beyond price signals, urad's agronomic profile makes it particularly appealing in uncertain monsoon conditions: it is a shorter-duration crop of 60–80 days and requires less water than many competing kharif options.
Satish Upadhyaya, Honorary Secretary of the India Pulses and Grains Association (IPGA), confirmed strong seed demand on the ground and said re-sowing activity is being observed in parts of Gujarat and Rajasthan. He noted that the recovery in acreage over the past two weeks has been directly linked to the pick-up in rainfall across key states.
Output outlook
September–October Rains Will Decide Whether Acreage Gains Translate to Output
A larger sown area does not automatically guarantee a larger harvest. Upadhyaya of IPGA was explicit: the final output will depend entirely on rainfall during September–October, when the urad crop reaches its critical pod-development stage.
With Maharashtra and Karnataka expected to contribute a fraction of their usual volumes, the trade is banking heavily on Madhya Pradesh to compensate. B KrishnaMurthy of Four P International in Chennai was direct in his assessment — the South's urad supply chain is counting on higher MP output to offset the steep regional shortfall.
For commodity traders and importers, the coming weeks of monsoon progress across central India will be the key variable to track. Any significant rain deficiency in MP or UP during August could quickly erode the gains that the current acreage numbers suggest.
Why it matters
The recovery in northern urad acreage provides some reassurance to the pulse trade and food-security planners after a sluggish start to the kharif season, but the season is far from settled. Final output will hinge critically on rainfall during September–October — the crucial pod-filling period — as highlighted by the India Pulses and Grains Association. With Maharashtra and Karnataka expected to deliver only about a quarter of their normal urad crop, Madhya Pradesh's performance will be the swing factor for domestic supply and price stability in the months ahead.
Frequently asked
- What is the total urad acreage in kharif 2026 as of July 24?
- According to Agriculture Ministry data released on July 24, 2026, the area under urad stood at 18.67 lakh hectares — 8 per cent above the 17.27 lakh hectares recorded at the same time last year.
- Which state has seen the biggest increase in urad sowing this season?
- Uttar Pradesh recorded the sharpest year-on-year increase, with urad acreage rising 75 per cent to 4.99 lakh hectares from 2.84 lakh hectares a year earlier.
- Why has urad acreage fallen sharply in Maharashtra?
- The delayed onset and uneven progress of the monsoon in Maharashtra severely disrupted sowing. The state's urad area is down 53 per cent to 1.6 lakh hectares, compared to 3.43 lakh hectares last year.
- Will a higher urad acreage guarantee better output this season?
- Not necessarily. Satish Upadhyaya of IPGA cautioned that final urad output will depend on how rains progress during September–October, which is the crop's critical pod-development period.
Source
This report summarises and analyses coverage from The Hindu BusinessLine — Agri Business. The analysis and India context are IndianAgri's own.