India has two main crop seasons. Kharif crops are sown at the start of the monsoon, roughly June to July, and harvested roughly September to November. Rabi crops are sown roughly October to December and harvested roughly February to April.
A smaller summer season, often called zaid, sits between them for some crops with irrigation. Dates are approximate and vary by state, variety and year, so confirm the timing for your product.
Typical kharif crops
- Rice in most of the country.
- Pearl millet (bajra) and much of the sorghum (jowar).
- Maize.
- Pulses such as moong (green gram) and urad (black gram).
- Tur (pigeon pea), which is sown in kharif but is a long-duration crop, so harvest often runs later into winter.
- Groundnut, kharif sesame and cotton.
Typical rabi crops
Rabi crops grow through the cool, mostly dry winter. Many depend on irrigation or on moisture left in the soil after the monsoon. Rain or a sudden heat spell near harvest can lower both yield and grain quality.
- Wheat, the main rabi grain.
- Chickpea (chana), both desi and kabuli.
- Lentils and field peas in northern and central India.
- Barley and mustard.
- Rabi sorghum in parts of Maharashtra and Karnataka.
- Seed spices such as cumin, coriander and fennel.
What the seasons mean for buyers
Market arrivals peak just after harvest. For a kharif crop that is usually late autumn. For a rabi crop it is usually spring. Prices often soften as new crop arrives, though weather, stocks and government action can change that in any year.
The monsoon decides kharif crops directly and leaves soil moisture for rabi crops. A weak or late monsoon can therefore affect both seasons. See how weather and the monsoon affect Indian crop prices.
New-crop and old-crop lots can sit side by side in the market for some months. If crop year matters to you, specify it and check it, as covered in how to check pulses are not mixed with older crop.
Planning your purchases
The broader calendar for spices is in the Indian spice harvest calendar.
- Ask suppliers for new-crop samples soon after harvest, before you book volume.
- Plan large bookings around the main arrival period for your product.
- Allow for drying, cleaning and grading time after harvest before shipment. In a typical year, the first export-ready lots follow a few weeks after arrivals begin.
- Watch the monsoon in June to September for both kharif output and rabi sowing.
- Keep some flexibility in shipment dates if harvest is delayed by weather.
How we help
We follow arrivals and crop condition in the markets for your product and tell you when new-crop samples are ready. We also help you time bookings around harvest. Ask for a free sourcing review to plan your season.