Area sown under rapeseed and mustard has reduced by over 500,000 hectares in the ongoing 2024-25 Rabi season, according to official estimate. Low water availability at the crucial stages of crop growth was a major factor contributing to this decrease, along with a variety of other reasons.
As of January 10, 2025, area sown under mustard was 8.85 million hectares (mha), according to data by the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. This was 523,000 ha less than area under the rapeseed and mustard in the corresponding period of 2023-24, which was recorded at 9.37 mha.
The crop’s area was, however, higher than the normal area (average of 2018-19 to 2022-23) of 7.92 mha under it during Rabi.
In Rajasthan, which is the biggest producer of the oilseed crop, area sown under it till January 3, 2025 was 3.36 mha, against the target of 4.05 mha set by the state government for Rabi 2024-25.
With the sowing already completed between October end and December beginning, the final figure of area under the crop will most likely remain unchanged. In 2023-24, this area was 4 mha.
At the time of the crucial sowing period, farmers in the state were grappling with water shortage for irrigation from the minor channels of the Indira Gandhi canal.
Om Prakash, a farmer from Hanumangarh district in Rajasthan, has sown the mustard crop only in 0.7 ha area this time, as opposed to four hectares in 2023-24 Rabi season.
“We are all dependent on either canal water or rainfall for irrigation. There was insufficient supply of the water from the canal channels and also no rain during the sowing period. I did not take the risk of sowing all my land,” he said, adding that he has been forced to leave 4.3 hectares unsown because of the change.
Chaudhary Bedprakash, a farmer from Jaisalmer district, said that mustard is nowhere to be seen this time in his village of Ramgarh. Last year, he had sown mustard in at least half of his 28-hectare field but this time he shifted all his land to other crops.
“Mustard requires at least five irrigation turns in the area. But we got water only once. We knew that there is going to be water shortage this time so many farmers including me shifted to jeera (cumin), isabgol (psyllium husk) and chana (gram), which require less water compared to mustard,” he said.
Data also showed that area under crops like gram, barley and wheat in the state has increased compared to last year.
However, an intense dust storm and cold winds during December 9-10 in Jaisalmer had damaged these alternative crops as well in a few villages.
Bedprakash estimated a 60 per cent loss for himself due to the combined problems of water shortage and the December dust storm.
Mustard is an important oilseed crop and a lower production under it could hinder India’s plan of achieving self-sufficiency in oilseeds.
India is the world’s biggest importer of vegetable oils. As per the data by The Solvent Extractors’ Association of India, overall import of vegetable oils like palm oil, soy oil and sunflower oil during the first two months of oil year 2024-25 (Nov-Dec 2024) was higher by 16 per cent, compared to the same period in 2023.
Another reason for less area under mustard could be farmers’ experience last year with returns on their mustard harvest. In the 2024 Rabi marketing season, mustard prices were in the range of Rs 3,873-5,600 per quintal, below the minimum support price of Rs 5,650 per quintal.
“Last year, I got just Rs 4,500 per quintal and so I decided to skip the crop this time and instead sow potato along with wheat,” said Inderpreet Singh, a farmer from Punjab’s Bhatinda district.
At the same time, there is a continuous surge in market prices of wheat and also chana. “Wheat particularly has an assured lifting and even the prices are good. So, farmers don’t want to take a risk with mustard,” said Preet Rajpal, a farmer from Punjab’s Sri Muktsar Sahib district.