Favorable Weather and High Prices to Boost Mustard Acreage
05-Nov-2025 05:40 PM
New Delhi. Domestic mustard acreage is expected to reach a new record level during the current Rabi season due to adequate soil moisture, favorable weather conditions, a significant increase in the Minimum Support Price (MSP),
attractive wholesale market prices, and strong interest from Chinese importers in purchasing rapeseed meal. Indian farmers are very enthusiastic this year and are showing great interest in sowing mustard.
The increase in the sowing area and production of mustard, the most important oilseed crop of the Rabi season, will not only increase the export of rapeseed meal but may also lead to a slight reduction in the import of edible oils. India remains the largest importer of edible oils in the world.
Anil Chatar, a leading and respected businessman from Jaipur, says that farmers have received attractive returns from mustard in the previous harvest and are continuing to do so, so their enthusiasm for mustard cultivation is expected to increase further this season.
The area under mustard and rapeseed is expected to increase by 7-8 percent during the current Rabi season compared to last year. It is noteworthy that Rajasthan is the country's leading mustard producer.
According to official data, the national mustard-sown area has increased to 4.17 million hectares by October 31, 2025, representing a 13.5 percent increase from 3.673 million hectares during the same period last year.
Along with Rajasthan, mustard sowing is also gaining momentum in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat, and the eastern and northeastern states. Last year, mustard production reached 8.93 million hectares, exceeding the five-year average of 7.9 million hectares.
Due to the strong demand for rapeseed meal in China and high oil prices in the domestic market, crushing and processing units are witnessing strong demand for mustard.
Data from the Solvent Extractors Association of India (SEA) shows that India exported 488,168 tons of rapeseed meal to China during the first half of the current fiscal year,
April-September 2025, significantly exceeding the 60,759 tons shipped during the entire previous fiscal year. Export performance is expected to remain strong going forward. The wholesale market price of mustard seed is also trading well above the minimum support price (MSP).