The Hindu Business Line : Rabi oilseeds output seen at 96 lakh t

BOTH area under cultivation and production of Rabi (summer harvested) oilseed crops have expanded this year. Estimated total production of Rabi season oilseeds is 96.07 lakh tonne, an increase of 24.67 l.t. from last year, according to New Delhi-based VMA Oilseeds Research and Development Institute (VORDI). Giving its crop estimate ahead of the All-India seminar on Rabi oilseed crops scheduled for March 14, VORDI's Dr Chandra said the area coverage this season was estimated at 93.11 lakh hectares as compared with 73.77 lakh hectares of last year.

The major summer harvested oilseed crops are rapeseed/mustard, groundnut, safflower, sunflower, sesamum and linseed. Rapeseed/mustard is attaining pod filling to maturity stages. The early sown crop has been harvested in Gwalior and some areas in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh States. In some pockets of Assam and West Bengal, the harvesting operation has commenced, according to Dr Chandra.

Rapeseed/mustard output is estimated at 62.19 lt for 2003-04 harvested from 58.90 lakh hectares. The crop size is 21.89 lt higher than last season. Rajasthan (23.5 lt), Uttar Pradesh (10 lt), Haryana and Madhya Pradesh (7.2 lt each) are major contributors.

Rabi groundnut output is estimated at 14.2 lt, up by 5.84 lt from last season. Andhra Pradesh with 5 lt and Tamil Nadu with 3.5 lt are major producers of summer groundnut.

Sunflowerseed, mainly a summer crop, has this season been grown in area of 13.65 lakh hectares and the output as estimated by VORDI is 11.22 lt.

Karnataka with 5.8 l.t. and Andhra Pradesh with 3.1 l.t. are major producers.

Among other crops, estimate of linseed output is 4.14 l.t., safflowerseed (kardi) is 3.18 l.t. and sesameseed 1.14 lt.

Including the Kharif season production of 141.52 lt, total oilseeds production in 2003-04 would be 237.57 lt, according to VORDI.