The sowing area for oilseed crops in the Rabi season has seen a significant decline of 5.36 lakh hectares compared to the previous year, dropping from 96.96 lakh hectares to 91.60 lakh hectares as of December 16. This decline is mainly due to reduced sowing of mustard, which is the primary oilseed crop for this season.

The mustard sowing area alone has decreased by 4.84 lakh hectares, from 90.40 lakh hectares to 85.56 lakh hectares. This is particularly noticeable in Rajasthan, the largest producer of mustard, where the area sown is much lower than the target.

Other oilseed crops, such as groundnut and linseed, are also experiencing reduced sowing areas. Groundnut sowing has fallen from 2.81 lakh hectares last year to 2.62 lakh hectares this year, and linseed sowing has dropped from 2.52 lakh hectares to 2.26 lakh hectares. Though groundnut is typically a Kharif season crop, it is also grown during the Rabi season in some states.

Other oilseed crops, such as safflower, sunflower, and sesame, are sown in smaller areas, with safflower at 57 thousand hectares (similar to last year), sunflower at around 30-32 thousand hectares, and sesame at 8-10 thousand hectares.

Farmers appear to be prioritizing wheat and gram cultivation over oilseeds, which, combined with unfavorable weather conditions in several regions, has led to the reduced sowing. Despite this, sowing of oilseeds may continue for a few more weeks.