Prices of mustard seed rose in Jaipur due to better demand from crushing plants amid steady arrivals. In Jaipur, the oilseed was sold for 4,200-4,210 rupees per 100 kg, up 10-15 rupees from Friday, with arrivals pegged at 85,000-90,000 bags (1 bag = 85 kg). mustard seed futures also rose on NCDEX. The February mustard seed contract was up 0.4% at 3,999 rupees per 100 kg. Prices are likely to decline in coming days as traders expect the arrivals of the new mustard seed crop to start soon.

Farmers across the country planted mustard over 6.88 mln ha as of previous day. up 3.0% from a year ago. The acreage was higher than the five-year average of 6.13 mln ha for the entire season. In Rajasthan, the top producer, the acreage was 2.48 mln ha as of previuos day, up 18.6% from a year ago. Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh also saw a rise in area under the oilseed.

Most of the sowing is already over. yields tend to take a hit if the crop is sown after November. is sown during Oct-Nov and harvested from March. Lifting of a six-year ban on import of mustard meal from India by China may also boost acreage. Higher minimum support prices this year are also expected to boost the area under the crop. The Centre has fixed a minimum support price of 4,200 rupees per 100 kg for 2018-19 (Apr-Mar) for mustard, compared with 4,000 rupees last year. The government has also set a higher output target of 8.5 mln ton for 2018-19, compared with 8.3 mln ton harvested in 2017-18,