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Mustard: The yellow revolution is here, finally.
Jan 19, 2022

A new yellow revolution has finally taken off, as farmers expand the area under the crop by a quarter, conjuring up visions of endless mustard fields — a popular Bollywood staple. 
 
The development comes even as the country is still dependent on edible oil imports. The 'right' price for mustard this year has worked the wonders that several initiatives in the past could not do.
 
According to the latest sowing data, acreage under mustard (including toria and taramira) has expanded by 24 per cent to a record 90.45 lakh hectares (lh), exceeding even the government-set target. 
 
Even average yield will help
 
The area under mustard alone has touched 84.76 lh (up 24.9 per cent). Before the start of the 2021-22 rabi season sowing, the government targeted increasing the output to 122.4 lakh tonnes (lt) from 75.8 lh. The production was 101.12 lt in 2020-21.
 
'Even if the average yield is 1.5 tonnes per hectare, production will be 135 lt from the latest sowing areas. However, the next 10-15 days are crucial for the crop amid prediction of rainfall by the weather bureau,' said PK Rai, director of Bharatpur-based Directorate of Rapeseed-Mustard Research. The yield was 1.51 tonnes per ha in 2018-19 and fell to 1.36 tonnes per ha the following year, he said.
 
Minimum temperatures at night may stay near-normal or slightly above normal in most parts of north-west and central India (including Madhya Pradesh) during January 20-26, according to India Meteorological Department. Though no significant cold wave is seen, dense fog is likely over many parts of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
 
The weather bureau has forecast light or moderate isolated to scattered rainfall over plains of north-west and adjoining central India, mainly during January 20-22. Overall, precipitation is likely to be normal to above-normal over north-west India, it said.
 
Output seen at 110 lakh tonnes
 
Industry body Central Organisation for Oil Industry and Trade (COOIT) estimates mustard output at around 110 lt this year. 'The government has been trying to encourage mustard cultivation and the results have started showing. This bodes well for the industry and consumers alike, as prices of mustard oil may remain stable over the next few months,' said Suresh Nagpal, chairman of COOIT.
 
In many states, mustard is currently either in the flowering or pod formation stage, and the persisting cloudy weather is not good, experts say, advising States to guard against 'white rust' pests. Though there are varieties resistant to white rust, farmers prefer high-yielding varieties, Rai said, adding that Giriraj and RH 725 remain popular in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
 
The Centre had released 1.2 lakh hybrid and 5.98 lakh high-yielding seed mini-kits for distribution among farmers during this rabi season.
    
thehindubusinessline

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