Mustard Acreage Nears Five-Year Average

24-Nov-2025 08:29 PM

New Delhi. The vigorous sowing of mustard, the most important oilseed crop of the Rabi season, is underway and will continue into next month.

Its wholesale market price has been above the minimum support price since May 2025, providing farmers with attractive returns, and therefore, they are showing great interest in its cultivation.

Consequently, as of November 21, 2025, the mustard acreage production has increased to 73.80 lakh hectares, an increase of 4.22 lakh hectares from the 69.58 lakh hectares sown during the same period last year.

This year, the normal average area under mustard is estimated at 79.17 lakh hectares, which is the average of the last five years.

Given the rapid pace at which mustard is being sown, it is expected that the acreage will soon surpass the normal average.

It is expected that by the end of the current Rabi season, the total mustard acreage production at the national level will reach 90-100 lakh hectares.

Mustard is being sown well in all major producing states—Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat, West Bengal, and Bihar—and if weather conditions remain favorable in the coming months, it could yield excellent harvests. Mustard production declined slightly during the 2024-25 season compared to 2023-24 due to a smaller area being sown.

There are early indications of improved mustard production in the 2025-26 Rabi season. Arrivals of new mustard crops sown in October are expected to begin in February 2026. Sowing of other Rabi oilseed crops is less encouraging. Acreage under peanuts and linseed is lagging significantly behind last year.