Going by the opinion of scientists working on rapeseed-mustard, this group of oilseed crops can help narrow, if not wholly bridge, the huge gap between the demand and domestic production of edible oils. Interestingly, it can be done with improved crop production technology that is already available. Besides, there is scope to expand area under rapeseed-mustard without displacing other crops to augment overall supplies.
What is needed, in practical terms, is to harness the untapped potential of the available high-yielding technology, utilise fallow arable lands for these crops and promote the cultivation of these crops between rows of other crops (also called inter-cropping).
The rapeseed-mustard group comprises basically eight oilseeds. These include Indian mustard or sarson (the technical term is Brassica juncea), brown sarson, yellow sarson, black mustard, toria, taramira, gobhi sarson and Ethiopian mustard. Though most of these are indigenous to India, some were introduced from abroad. These crops are widely grown from the north west to the north east and in some pockets of the south. Together, they accounted for nearly 26 per cent of total oilseed output in 2009-10, with only 22 per cent of the area under oil-bearing crops.
A comprehensive status paper on rapeseed-mustard crops, prepared by Bharatpur-based Directorate of Rapeseed-Mustard Research (DRMR) chief J S Chauhan and three other scientists, outlines the constraints these crops are up against and the strategies to overcome them. It brings out, unambiguously, the gap between the rapeseed-mustard yields obtained at front-line demonstrations held by experts using modern technology and those at the fields of the farmers using traditional methods of cultivation.
This yield gap was assessed at 29 per cent on an average (based on the yield data of 2007-08), indicating that the rapeseed-mustard harvest can be increased by up to 30 per cent simply by spurring farmers to use the same technology shown to them in field demonstrations. This will add 1.5-1.7 million tonnes of oilseeds to the country’s overall vegetable oilseed kitty, reducing the need for imports to some extent.
This apart, over 11 million hectares of rice-fallows (paddy lands kept unseeded for part of the year) are available in the eastern and north-eastern states for growing rapeseed-mustard to expand acreage under these oilseed crops. Even if 10 per cent of this land is actually used for this purpose, at least 1 million tonnes of extra rapeseed-mustard can be reaped, according to the DRMR estimates. The fact that a large proportion (over 70 per cent) of the land under rapeseed-mustard cultivation has irrigation facilities inspires further confidence in the adoption of improved technology for these crops. Over 125 superior crop varieties have been developed and officially notified over the years for cultivation under different agro-climatic situations. “They can play a critical role in enhancing production if they are chosen as per their suitability to various micro-farming and environmental situations,” the DRMR scientists maintain.
Many of these varieties mature in relatively less time, thus enabling farmers to grow them during the short period available between harvesting one crop and planting the next. Some of these varieties also have useful traits, such as tolerance to high temperature, capacity to withstand soil salinity, resistance against important crop diseases and pests, and superior-quality oil.
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Going a step further, the DRMR has initiated measures for creating awareness about better rapeseed-mustard technology among farmers, extension workers and other stakeholders to facilitate its quicker adoption. To harness the potential of information technology in knowledge dissemination, the DRMR has developed a couple of computer-based expert tools (software) to guide farmers on the proper use of fertilisers and combating yield dampeners like plant diseases.
However, scientists’ efforts can bear fruit only if the government lends the policy and infrastructural support in areas like timely supply of good-quality inputs, hassle-free marketing and remunerative prices for the produce. Edible oil import-export policies, too, need to be tailored in a manner that can help keep domestic prices at levels that suit both the oilseed producers and edible oil consumers. Otherwise, the rapeseed-mustard growers will have little incentive to raise production.