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Rabi oilseeds area up; output set for recovery

Our Bureau

NEW DELHI, Nov. 29

PRODUCTION of rabi oilseeds is slated to stage a recovery of sorts this year, with the Delhi-based VMA Oilseeds Research and Development Institute (VORDI) estimating acreages to have increased somewhat over last years depressed levels.

According to VMAs report on area sown under various rabi oilseed crops up to November 20, this year, the total area covered so far, at 54.92 lakh hectares, has been higher than last years corresponding coverage of 49.16 lakh hectares.

The cumulative area under rapeseed-mustard till November 20 has been estimated at 39.44 lakh hectares, as against last years corresponding figure of 36.79 lakh hectares. Similarly, the progressive area under rabi sunflower has gone up from 4.70 lakh hect ares to 6.35 lakh hectares, while being higher at 3.76 lakh hectares (3.61 lakh hectares) for safflower, 3.78 lakh hectares (2.72 lakh hectares) for linseed, 1.16 lakh hectares (1.03 lakh hectares) for rabi groundnut and 0.43 lakh hectares (0.26 lakh hec tares) for sesamum.

The normal area under rabi oilseeds is 102.70 lakh hectares, which means that over 53 per cent of sowing for the season has already been completed. The normal rabi season acreage of rapeseed-mustard is 65.45 lakh hectares, while it is 11.88 lakh hectares for groundnut, 10.33 lakh hectares for sunflower, 7.5 lakh hectares for linseed, five lakh hectares for safflower and 2.54 lakh hectares for sesamum.

During 2000-01, the countrys rabi oilseeds production slumped to around 6.6 million tonnes (mt), as against 8.54 m.t in 1999-2000, 8.93 mt in 1998-99, 7.18 mt in 1997-98 and the all-time high of 9.98 mt in 1996-97. Output of rapeseed-mustard, in particul ar, hit a 13-year-low of 4.09 mt, down from 5.96 mt in 1999-200 and the record 6.66 mt of 1996-97.

Going by present trends, it looks as though overall production will be higher this year, but it would not match up to the 1999-2000 crop. Mr G. Chandra, Deputy Director, VORDI said that although, the area coverage under rapeseed-mustard would increase th is year, it would not touch the normal levels. This is because rains have been inadequate in northern India and the day temperatures have been on the higher side at the time on sowing.

Sowing has almost completed in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana and the progressive area has been only 16 lakh hectares, 8.6 lakh hectares and 4.3 lakh hectares in these three States, compared to the normal levels of 29.47 lakh hectares, 11.14 lakh h ectares and 4.96 lakh hectares, respectively.

But the relatively gloomy outlook for rapeseed-mustard is likely to be somewhat offset by the improved prospects for rabi groundnut, which is mainly sown in the southern States of Tamil Nadu (normal acreage is 3.92 lakh hectares), Andhra Pradesh (3.16 la kh hectares) and Karnataka (1.98 lakh hectares), apart from Gujarat (0.95 lakh hectares) and Maharashtra (1.14 lakh hectares). Sowing has just started in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu and the reasonably good post-monsoon precipitation in these areas augu r well for the crop.