Soybean and groundnut area increased but sesame and castor sowing lagged behind

13-Aug-2024 06:07 PM

New Delhi. During the current Kharif season, ups and downs are being seen in the cultivation of oilseed crops as compared to last year.

Under this, the production area of ​​soybean and groundnut has increased while the sowing area of ​​sesame and castor has declined.

There has been a slight increase in the area of ​​sunflower and nigerseed. Sowing of castor is still going on in Gujarat and Rajasthan.

According to the latest data of the Union Agriculture Ministry, the production area of ​​oilseed crops during the Kharif period improved this time till 12 August and reached 183.70 lakh hectares, which is 1.55 lakh hectares more than 182.15 lakh hectares last year.

Under this, the sowing area of ​​soybean increased from 122.90 lakh hectares to 124.70 lakh hectares, the area of ​​groundnut jumped from 41.60 lakh hectares. The area of ​​nigerseed also improved from 21 thousand hectares to 26 thousand hectares.

On the other hand, during the same period, the production area of ​​sesame decreased from 11.15 lakh hectares to 10.15 lakh hectares and the area of ​​castor seed dropped from 5.35 lakh hectares to 2.45 lakh hectares.

The production of these two oilseed crops is lagging behind in Gujarat, although it is the most prominent producer of castor seed and an important producer of sesame.

The sowing of cotton has also decreased there, but a good increase is being recorded in the production area of ​​groundnut.

It was feared that the area under soybean would decrease by 5-10 percent this time, but on the contrary, the area is ahead of last year, while its market price has fallen far behind.

There are reports of damage to the crop due to heavy rains and waterlogging in the fields in some areas.