India's rapeseed and mustard cultivation will expand by almost 17%

India's rapeseed and mustard production is expected to rise 16% to a record high in 2021/22 when the weather is favorable, as very high prices prompted farmers to expand winter rapeseed acreage, industry representatives Reuters said.
An increase in rapeseed production could increase the local edible oil supply and limit India's imports of palm oil, soybean oil and sunflower oil. Imports cost the country a record $ 15.7 billion a year ago.
India's rapeseed and mustard production could rise from 8.6 million tons in the previous year to over 10 million tons. Farmers in the northern states are switching to rapeseed from other crops, said BV Mehta, executive director of the Solvent Extractors' Association of India (SEA).
The Indian rapeseed futures hit a record high of 8,850 rupees ($ 117.87) per 100 kg in October and is up 38% so far in 2021. That encouraged farmers in the northwestern state of Rajasthan, the largest producer, to expand their acreage.
So far this year, farmers have grown rapeseed and mustard on 7.18 million hectares, almost 17% more than the normal area, according to data from the Ministry of Agriculture.
The larger rapeseed acreage will certainly raise the harvest volume above the level of the previous year, but the extent of the harvest volume will be determined by rain and cold in the next few months, said Govindbhai Patel, managing director of trading company GG Patel & Nikhil Research Company.
Rapeseed is mainly grown in rainy areas in India and the soil moisture determines the hectare yield there.
Rajasthan has received 137% more rainfall than normal in November so far, according to the Meteorological Agency.
The increase in rapeseed production could limit India's edible oil imports in the 2021/22 marketing year, which began on November 1st. After all, rapeseed contains more than 40% oil, said Patel.
India, the world's largest importer of edible oils, buys palm oil from Indonesia and Malaysia, with soybean oil mainly imported from Argentina and Brazil. It sources sunflower oil from Russia and Ukraine.