The Hindu Business Line : Kharif oilseeds harvest begins

KHARIF oilseed arrivals have begun, a little early this year. Reports from Gujarat, Maharashtra and Karnataka suggest that harvest of the early sown varieties has started.

In Maharashtra, as much as about 25,000 bags of soyabean are coming into the marketplace from Sangli, Satara and adjoining areas. The main harvest is at least three weeks away in Vidharba region as well as in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

In Gujarat, reports from Junagadh district suggest inflows of about 5,000 bags of groundnut in-shell. If not harvested in time, groundnut will start sprouting, said a farm scientist. The quality of early harvested crop in Saurashtra is reported to be not satisfactory.

It is likely that the long dry spell of July has taken its toll, said a trader. Small parcels of sesameseed are also coming into the market.

Sunflowerseed harvest has begun in some parts of Karnataka, albeit in a small way.

Early harvests are not unusual. The southwest monsoon broke over peninsular India in the second half of May, several days earlier than the usual June 1.

Farmers had begun planting then. The early planted varieties— many are 95-100 day crops— are now ready for harvest.

Rains have revived in the southern parts and are expected to move towards central and western India. These rains would help the standing crops in the process of maturation. However, rains after mid-September can cause damage to sesameseed, which is a fragile crop.

Overall, players in the oilseeds sector are resigned to the harvest of oilseeds crop considerably smaller than in kharif last year 2003, but better than in the same season in 2002.