Demand for mustard oil typically increases during the monsoon season with increased consumption of deep fried snacks. Crushing could have been higher but for dwindling mustard seed arrivals with the start of the lean season. Mustard, a crucial rabi oilseed, is sown during Sep-Oct and harvested from February. New crop arrivals begin in February, and gain momentum by March. Arrivals remain in full swing till May and start shrinking from June. During Mar 1-Aug 31, total mustard seed supply was at 5.8 mln tn. Arrivals in Rajasthan, the top producer, were at 1.9 mln tn, in Uttar Pradesh at 830,000 tn, and 400,000 tn in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh put together. India Mustard oil weakens on sluggish demand. In a restricted activity, mustard oil prices declined by Rs 50 per quintal at the wholesale oils and oilseeds market in the national capital owing to slackened demand.