The Solvent Extractors’ Association of India (SEA) has projected the total mustard acreage in India for the rabi 2024-25 season at 92.15 lakh hectares (lh) with the production being estimated at 115.16 lakh tonnes (lt).
This projection is a marginal increase in acreage compared to the government estimate of 89.30 lh for the rabi 2024-25. The Second Advance Estimates of production of major crops (kharif and rabi) for 2024-25, released by Union Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on March 10, estimated the production of rapeseed and mustard at 128.73 lt.
SEA’s field survey and SatSure’s satellite-driven predictive analysis were used for coming out with this projection.
SEA has roped in SatSure Analytics India Pvt Ltd for the survey through two rounds of extensive crop surveys and remote sensing analysis for the highest level of accuracy in crop area estimation. The survey included constant interactions with farmers to ensure the impact of all agronomic practices, selection of inputs and weather to arrive at the final estimate.
States such as Assam, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal were surveyed.
Quoting Kumarjit Majumdar of SatSure Analytics India Pvt Ltd, a SEA statement said Rajasthan — the largest mustard producing State, is estimated to cover 34.74 lh with a projected output of 52.45 lt. The government estimate puts the mustard acreage in Rajasthan at 33.95 lh.
Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh are expected to produce 14.66 lt and 15.60 lt on an area of 14.86 lh and 14.23 lh, respectively. However, the government estimates put the acreages at 14.27 lh and 13.77 lh in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, respectively.
According to the survey, Haryana is estimated to produce 12.30 lt on an area of 7.14 lh, while the government pegs the acreage at 6.96 lh.
Other key mustard-growing States such as West Bengal, Jharkhand, Assam and Gujarat show stable acreage with marginal increases.
Giving details about the field observations and farmer sentiments, a SEA statement said the mustard crop has remained in line or performed better than expected in major mustard-growing regions, including Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, and West Bengal.
Field assessments showed positive crop growth stages, particularly in inflorescence emergence and flowering, which are crucial phases for mustard yield formation.
On farmer sentiments, the statement said farmers remain cautious about mustard cultivation due to rising production costs, despite the increase in minimum support price (MSP) announced by the Centre.
Sanjeev Asthana, SEA President, said India has emerged as the world’s largest edible oil importer leading to severe stress on its treasury as well as on farmers’ incomes. As a responsible and apex industry body, the SEA has initiated a host of initiatives to raise the domestic availability of oilseeds.
One of these initiatives named ‘Model Mustard Farm’ project is being implemented since 2020-21 with a vision to increase India’s rapeseed-mustard production to 200 lt by 2029-30, he said.
BV Mehta, Executive Director of SEA, said the current MSP for mustard is ₹5,950 per quintal. Stating that the price of mustard already touched MSP and is likely to go down with the arrival pressure, he said the government must gear up to buy at MSP to protect farmers.
Vijay Data, Chairman of SEA Rape-Mustard Promotion Council, said: “India has witnessed a remarkable increase in mustard production year after year from around 86 lt in 2020-21 to an all-time high of 115.8 lt in 2023-24.” The acreage of rapeseed-mustard for 2024-25 is around 92.15 lh, and estimated production will be around 115.2 lt, he said.
Mehta said SEA emphasizes that these estimates and observations are subject to revisions based on evolving agronomic conditions, real-time remote sensing assessments, and further analytical insights. Updated acreage and harvest reports will be provided as the season progresses. SEA will conduct the third and final field survey in April-May to revalidate its estimates yield and of production, he added.
