Mustard gains in initial rabi sowing, markets bullish on wheat

The sowing of rabi crops has started on a healthy note with the area under mustard jumping sharply during the week ended October 14 to around 430,000 hectares, as against 69,000 hectares during the same period last year.

For wheat, the other main rabi crop, traders and market participants are hopeful the area under cultivation will be at least 10 per cent more than that in previous years owing to remunerative prices and favourable weather.

Wheat is usually sown in around 31 million hectares, mostly in the northern belt.

“The possibility of increase in wheat acreage is that in the