Low prices dampen sentiment in rabi sowing season

Things are in place for a good rabi harvest. But farmers must contend with poor prices for their kharif harvest. And that may have a knock-on effect on rabi prices in a vicious cycle

- SANJEEB MUKHERJEE New Delhi, 13 November

Everything seems to be going for the Indian farmer these days but prices thanks to a complex interplay of supply, demand, and government intervention.

Sowing in the rabi season, which runs from October to December, has begun well, there is enough fertiliser to go around, the weather has been kind, and soil moisture is just right.

"The good spell of dry weather after a vigorous monsoon and post-monsoon period and early arrival of winters have ensured that sowing of wheat is progressing very well this year which has been supplemented by the near absence of any shortage of key inputs such as fertilisers as farmers have done advanced stocking," said Inderjit Goraya, a prominent farmer leader from Haryana.

Goraya, who heads the Haryana Unit of All India Kisan Congress, however, said that crop prices continue to be a matter of concern for most farmers as they are nothing compared to what was expected.

Data from the department of agriculture shows that as on November 7, 2025, rabi crops have been sown on around 13.03 million hectares (mha) of land, which is 27.12 per cent more than the area covered during the same period last year as farmers rushed into cash in on the good soil moisture.

Usually in the full sowing rabi season, crops are sown over around 64 mha. This means till November 7, only around 20 per cent of the total area has been covered. But this initial burst indicates that there is enough room for acreage to be good this season.

Wheat, the main rabi crop sown in North India, had been planted on around 129 per cent more area till November 7 in comparison with the same period last year. But prices are a different story.

"Wheat prices are subdued for now and on Tuesday, markets were trading at around ₹2,7752,800 per quintal, which is more than MSP but much lower than previous months," Navneet Chitlangia of the Roller Flour Millers' Federation of India said.

Good rains