Higher acreage aided by a favourable climate has raised the prospects for a bumper harvest of rapeseed mustard – the key winter oilseed crop.
Keepings fingers crossed However, the edible oil industry, after the recent experience of soyabean, where heavy rains in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, shrunk this year’s output despite higher acreage, is keeping its fingers crossed on hazarding any guess on the mustard crop size.
The mustard acreage has so far, exceeded 68.86 lakh ha, higher than corresponding last year’s 64.47 lakh ha.
“So far, the acreage and weather has been good and we are hoping for a good crop. However, till the harvest is done, it is difficult to predict the crop size as any changes in weather may play spoil sport – like in the case of soyabean this kharif season. We are keeping our fingers crossed,” said B.V. Mehta, Executive Director at the Solvent Extractors’ Association of India (SEAI).
output estimate “If everything goes well, we may have an output of 70-75 lakh tonnes,” Mehta added.
According to the Agriculture Ministry’s latest estimates, mustard output stood at 78.20 lakh tonnes in 2012-13, up from 66 lakh tonnes last year.
The Government has increased the minimum support price of mustard to Rs 3,050 a quintal from Rs 3,000 last year.
The mustard planted in October is in flowering stages and pod formation would begin next month.
Any drastic changes in weather conditions may pose problems, said S.S. Burak of the Udaipur-based Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture and Technology. “The production depends on the weather,” he added. Temperatures, according to the meteorological department, have fallen below normal levels in most parts of North India, the key mustard growing region.
Rain booster It has also predicted that ground-level frost, wherein the minimum temperature drops below four degrees centigrade, would occur at isolated places in West Rajasthan, West Haryana and Punjab.
“The late rains in Rajasthan and North India have boosted mustard sowing and the dip in temperature has raised the hopes of a bumper crop in 2013-14. We expect the output to be around 78.2 lakh tonnes, if no adversity is reported” said Umesh Verma, spokesperson for Puri Oil Mills Ltd.