Slow Sowing of Mustard Raises Concerns

New Delhi. The sluggish pace of sowing for mustard—the primary oilseed crop of the Rabi season—has become a matter of surprise and concern. This is particularly significant given that wholesale market prices for the crop are currently at exceptionally high (effectively record) levels, and the government has also increased its Minimum Support Price (MSP) by Rs 413 per quintal.

While the acreage for other Rabi crops—such as gram, moong, wheat, and paddy—is also trailing behind last year’s figures (partly due to less-than-ideal weather conditions in major producing states like Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Karnataka), the slow sowing of mustard is the most concerning aspect.

Typically, the sowing process gains significant momentum from the first week of October. During the first 26 days of the current month, eastern Rajasthan—a region where mustard is cultivated on a large scale—received 51 percent less rainfall than the long-term average. It is expected that the pace of mustard sowing will pick up in the coming days, and farmers are fully prepared to proceed with the planting.