Rapeseed and mustard planting in India is set to drop despite higher prices, as above-average temperatures during the sowing season prompt farmers to switch to crops less affected by heat and which offer equally good returns. Temperatures stayed higher than usual in October and in the first three weeks of November, which was not good for the crop. In Rajasthan, the maximum temperature in key producing districts was 2 to 7 degrees Celsius above normal in the last few weeks.
Higher temperatures also affected planting in neighbouring states such as Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Haryana, which could reduce the total area under rapeseed by 10% from last year. Rapeseed competes with wheat and chickpea, prices of which have jumped in recent months, spurring farmers to raise acreage for those crops by cutting the area devoted to rapeseed. India meets nearly a third of its cooking oil demand through imports of palm oil, soyoil and sunflower oil from Malaysia, Indonesia, Brazil, Argentina, Ukraine and Russia.
