The word Kharif is Arabic for autumn, since the season coincides with the beginning of autumn or winter.

Kharif crops also are known as monsoon crops. These are the crops that are cultivated in the monsoon season. The Kharif season differs in every state of the country but is generally from June to September.

These crops are usually sown at the beginning of the monsoon season around June and harvested by September or October. Rice, maize, bajra, ragi, soybean, groundnut, cotton are all Kharif types of crops.