India is on the cusp of the Yellow revolution in the farm sector, this time in oilseed production. The revolution will be led by Mustard, which may soon be crowned as the country’s top-grown oilseed. This was the outcome of discussions held by the edible oil industry veterans and eminent government dignitaries in a Webinar organized by the Solvent Extractors’ Association of India.
SEA has launched the Mustard Mission by which plans to raise mustard production to 20 million tonnes by 2025. This can be achieved by improved farm practices, deployment of the right technology, quality seeds, and other input management, said Atul Chaturvedi, President SEA
Speaking at the event, Sudhanshu Pandey, Secretary, Department of Food & Public Distribution said that mustard holds huge potential in raising India’s overall oilseed output due to its commercial viability and health-friendly properties.
He further said the industry should ensure adequate demand for mustard oil once the farmers raise production and productivity to ensure remunerative returns.
Results of Model Mustard Farms developed by SEA jointly with Solidaridad in Rajasthan since 2019 showed a 49% increase in productivity with the use of better farm practices, better seeds, technology. This makes mustard the preferred choice to raise India’s oilseed production.
India’s mustard production in the current marketing year that started in October is set to comfortably top between 8.5 to 9 million tonnes, a record high. This will make mustard India’s top-grown oilseed in the years to come, said Vijay Data, Chairman, SEA Rape- Mustard Promotion Council.
