The drop in mustard acreage could be attributed to low price realisation by oilseed farmers, especially those growing soybean and groundnut in the kharif season
The Supreme Court on Tuesday gave a split verdict on the validity of the Centre's 2022 decisions on the environmental release of mustard hybrid DMH-11 for seed production and testing. A bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and Sanjay Karol heard pleas challenging the October 18, 2022, decision of the GEAC -- the country's regulator for genetically modified organisms -- recommending environment release and the subsequent decision on October 25, approving the environmental release of transgenic mustard hybrid DMH-11. After hearing the pleas, the bench gave a divergent opinion. The bench directed the issue to be placed before the Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud for adjudication by the appropriate bench. However, both the judges were unanimous in directing the Centre to formulate a national policy on Genetically Modified (GM) crops. The bench directed that the environment ministry will undertake a consultation process with all the stakeholders and experts, preferably in four months
The yield increases were realised using innovative farming practices and advanced technology
Mustard crop acreage is estimated to have risen 5 per cent to over 100 lakh hectares in the rabi season of the 2023-24 crop year, according to industry data. In a statement, the Solvent Extractors' Association of India (SEA) said it has nominated RMSI Cropalytics Pvt Ltd for an all-India rape mustard crop survey. Mustard is an important oilseed. RMSI has submitted the third report based on remote sensing. As per the report, SEA said, "all-India mustard crop acreage was reported at 100.39 lakh hectares, which is 5 per cent more than last year's remote sensing-based estimate of 95.76 lakh hectares". Farmers in many districts in Gujarat and Rajasthan have opted for other crops instead of mustard due to lower price realisation. In Rajasthan, the acreage is estimated to have increased to 37,82,222 hectares in the rabi season of 2023-24 from 37,43,272 hectares in the previous year. Mustard acreage in Uttar Pradesh has grown to 17,76,025 hectares from 14,00,584 hectares, while in Madhya
"The experts peg the output at around 1-1.2 mt lower than the estimates," said Anil Chatar, joint secretary of the Mustard Oil Producers Association of India
According to available government data, exports from Rajasthan touched Rs 70,000 crore in the 2022-2023. Trade pundits expect it to reach Rs 80,000 crore in 2023-2024
The coalition said that the Union of India presented a new paper with regard to the Centre of Origin of Brassica juncea being outside India
Though, for many crops, there is still time before the full final harvest hits the markets, market players have already started speculating and predicting the harvest
While the acreage drop in Bihar could be due to delayed harvest of paddy, the fall in area in Rajasthan as compared to last year might be due to reporting delays because of polls
According to the latest data, wheat has been sown in around 8.60 million hectares till Friday, which was 5.49 per cent lower than the same period last year
Data shows that water levels in the 40-odd reservoirs of southern India as on November 9 was at 44 per cent of their live capacity at Full Reservoir Levels
Rabi crops, also known as winter crops, are grown in October and November, and harvested in spring. Major rabi crops in India include wheat, barley, mustard, maize, sesame and peas
The minister said mustard and gram were being procured from April 1 on support price in the state. Till June 6, 347,000 tonnes of gram and mustard have been procured from over 140,000 farmers
The Assam government will procure mustard seeds directly from the farmers at a higher rate under the Price Support Scheme (PSS), Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said here on Wednesday. The government has enhanced the minimum support price for mustard seeds to Rs 5,450 per quintal as against the existing market rate of Rs 4500-Rs 4800 per quintal which will bring an additional income of Rs 250 crore to the farmers of the state, Sarma told reporters here. There are currently two procurement centres -- Raha in Nagaon district and Amingaon in Kamrup -- but the state government has decided to also use the 92 existing paddy procurement centres along with the nine centres of agricultural marketing for the purpose, Sarma said. The procurement will be done through the Assam State Agricultural Board and Assam Food and Civil Supplies Corporation as the state-level agencies and NAFED as the central agency, he said. The procurement period will be from May 29 to August 26 and the bank details
The associations said the measures were extremely necessary to stop the free fall in mustard seed prices
Samay Singh, a mustard seed grower in Gudawali village, is busy harvesting but is worried that he may not get a better price for his produce this year as the wholesale rate in mandi here has already crashed below the minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 5,450 per quintal. Last year, Singh had harvested three quintals of mustard seed in his half acre land and sold at an average rate of Rs 7,000 per quintal. This year, yield is higher as there was no pest infestation and he expects production of at least four quintals but fears he may not get even MSP this time. Harikishan Sharma, a farmer from Dheeg block, is shocked at the mustard prices which began falling from October 2022 onwards, much before the harvesting and somewhere feels the cheaper palmolien imports is the culprit. In the last three months, mustard prices have fallen from Rs 8,000 per quintal to Rs 5,200 per quintal in Bharatpur mandis, the hub for mustard production and processors, according to these farmers. Farmers in thi
Earlier, a similar zero duty quota on the import of refined soybean oil was abolished
Expressing concern over rape-mustard seed rates falling below the minimum support price (MSP), edible oil industry body SEA on Tuesday demanded the government commence procurement and restrict imports of refined palm oil as part of steps to arrest the price drop. Solvent Extractors Association of India (SEA), in a representation to both food and commerce secretaries, said mustard seed prices in the wholesale market yards have crashed below the MSP of Rs 5,450 per quintal and the arrivals are increasing on a daily basis. "Further drop in prices cannot be ruled out," SEA Executive Director B V Mehta said. He also noted that unbridled imports of refined palm oil have led to the collapse in domestic edible oil prices which is impacting the marketing of mustard seed at peak harvest time and causing distress to farmers. "We feel heavy imports of refined palmolein are neither helping our mustard farmer nor the Indian refining industry," he said. To arrest further fall in prices, SEA has
Estimates 4% increase in wheat output, around 1% for chana, and 7% for mustard
The MSP of mustard for 2023-24 is Rs 5,450 per quintal