Mustard acreage exceeds the normal average area

09-Dec-2025 07:12 PM

Mustard acreage exceeds the normal average area

New Delhi. Indian farmers continue to show strong enthusiasm and interest in the cultivation of mustard, the most important oilseed crop of the Rabi season. As a result, the area under mustard cultivation has increased to 79.88 lakh hectares, which is 3.45 lakh hectares more than last year's sowing area of 76.43 lakh hectares for the same period, and 71,000 hectares higher than the five-year (normal) average area of 79.17 lakh hectares. For many months, the wholesale market price of mustard has been significantly higher than the government's minimum support price (MSP), providing farmers with attractive income. Considering this, an increase in the mustard sowing area was already expected.

Farmers in major producing states such as Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat, West Bengal, and Bihar are showing strong interest in mustard cultivation, leading to a steady rise in the sowing area. Weather conditions are favorable. It is expected that this year, the total production area of mustard at the national level will surpass that of last year.

However, in contrast to mustard, groundnut cultivation is showing signs of declining farmer interest. For the current Rabi season, its normal average area is estimated at 3.69 lakh hectares, whereas the sowing has reached only 1.80 lakh hectares. This is a decline from last year's 2.07 lakh hectares, coming down to 1.27 lakh hectares this year. On the other hand, there has been some improvement in the sowing area of safflower (kusum) and sunflower. Sowing of oilseed crops will continue further.