India's 2018/19 rapeseed output seen rising 19% to record high

Farmers planted rapeseed mustard on 6.64 million hectares in 2018/19, up from 6.39 million hectares a year ago, the Solvent Extractors' Association of India (SEA) said.

MUMBAI: India's rapeseed mustard production in 2018/19 could jump nearly 19 percent from a year earlier to a record 8.5 million tonnes due to conducive weather and as higher prices prompted farmers to expand areas under planting, a leading trade body said on Tuesday.

Rapeseed mustard is the main winter-sown oilseed in India. Higher rapeseed production could help the world's biggest buyer of edible oil in limiting its overseas purchases. India imports about two-thirds of its edible oil demand.

Farmers planted rapeseed mustard on 6.64 million hectares in 2018/19, up from 6.39 million hectares a year ago, the Solvent Extractors' Association of India (SEA) said in a statement.

"Weather was conducive since the planting. Yields were much better than last year," B.V. Mehta, executive director of the SEA, told Reuters.

Around a quarter of rapeseed crop has been harvested so far and the remaining will be harvested in the next few weeks, Mehta said.

India primarily imports palm oil from Indonesia and Malaysia and soyoil from Argentina and Brazil. It also imports sunflower oil from Ukraine and canola oil from Canada. - Reuters