Rapeseed growers in Rajasthan expect a bumper crop

Bharatpur, Feb 9 (ANI): Farmers in Rajasthan's Bharatpur district are expecting a bumper rapeseed crop this year thanks to ample rainfall.

Rajasthan, where at least 40 per cent of agricultural land is used for cultivating mustard, accounts for almost 50 per cent of the national output.

But weather condition has been good this year, putting a smile on the face of farmers in Rajasthan.

"Rajasthan is famous for the high qualitative yield of mustard, but since past few years, we were facing lot of problems because of inadequate rainfall. But this year, our yield has been very good, because of adequate rainfall," said Chabbal Singh, a farmer.

In the absence of adequate rainfall, many farmers in Bharatpur had shifted to wheat last year.

Farm scientists said there could be a bumper crop.

"It seems as if the whole field is coloured yellow. Some of the crops are mature, while others will mature soon. This time because of good rainfall, crop is excellent," said Arvind Kumar, director at the National Research Centre on Rapeseed-Mustard.

The research centre provided farmers with new varieties of hybrid seeds and techniques of irrigation that helped the farmers attain a good yield.

India's rapeseed or mustard output fell by more than 15 per cent to 6.07 million tons as cold weather damaged crops in 2008.

India, the world's biggest vegetable oil importer after China, produces only one rapeseed crop in a year that is sown in October and harvested from March.

India imports almost half of its annual edible oil consumption of around eleven million tons. It buys palm oil from Malaysia and Indonesia and soyaoil from Brazil and Argentina.

India has two crop cycles. The crop year runs from July to June. Summer-sown crops are planted in May-June and harvests begin in September-October. Crops sown in the winter months of October-November are harvested in March-April. y Brijesh Kumar Singh (ANI)