The Solvent Extractor’s Association of India (SEA) has estimated the total production of oilseed crops, grown during the kharif and rabi seasons in the 2019-20 (November-October) season, at 251.49 lakh tonne, nearly 3% higher compared with 244.08 lakh tonne last year due to higher yield in groundnut and castor seed.
According to SEA’s estimates, the area under kharif and rabi oilseeds crop for 2019-20 has marginally increased to 260.07 lakh hectare, from 258.45 lakh hectare last year.
The groundnut crop has been pegged at 62.55 lakh tone, against 46.85 lakh tonne last year, due to increase in yield — from 1,009 kg per hectare to 1,419 kg per hectare. The SEA has estimated rapeseed-mustard, including toria and taramira crop, at 74 lakh tonne in 2019-20, against 75 lakh tonne last year. Sunflower seed crop has been pegged at 1.40 lakh tone, against 1.72 lakh tonne in the previous year.
According to the SEA, sesame seed crop production increased to 5.50 lakh tonne from 4.86 lakh tonne last year. Similarly, castor seed crop has sharply increased to 19.61 lakh tonne from 10.82 lakh tonne. The crop area increased to 9.92 lakh hectare from 7.27 lakh hectares. The total production, including cottonseed and copra, is estimated at 364.64 lakh tonne, compared with 344.10 lakh tonne in 2018-19.
Import and export of oilseeds also increased during 2019-20. India imported about 520,000 tonne of oilseeds, including 360,000 tonne of soybean and 147,000 tonne of sesame seed, BV Mehta, executive director of SEA, said. During the same period, India exported about 10.62 lakh tonne of oilseeds, mainly groundnut (648,000 tonne), sesame seed (282,000 tonne) and soybean (75,000 tonne).
The total vegetable oil availability from kharif and rabi oilseeds crops, including import of oil seeds for the year 2019-20 (Nov-Oct), increased to 85.38 lakh tonne from 76.87 lakh tonne last year.