The acreage was higher than the five-year average of 6.13 mln ha for the entire season. The area in Rajasthan, the top grower, was at 2.3 mln ha as of previous closing, up 12.7% from a year ago. The acreage also rose in Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. Currently, sowing of the crop is at its fag end, as yields tend to take a hit if the crop is sown after November. which accounts for a fourth of India’s overall oilseed production, is sown during Oct-Nov and harvested from March. Owing to low temperatures, there are chances of saw fly and aphid attacks in mustard fields at the vegetative stage, and scientists have advised farmers to use pesticides to prevent damage. Lifting of a six-year-old ban on import of Indian mustard meal by China may boost acreage this year. Higher minimum support prices this year are also expected to boost the area under the oilseed this year. The Centre has fixed the minimum support price for mustard at 4,200 rupees per 100 kg for 2018-19, compared with 4,000 rupees last year.

The government has set a mustard output target of 8.5 mln tn for 2018-19, compared with 8.3 mln tn harvested in 2017-18. “Bumper yield of mustard is expected due to favourable weather this season. Besides, arrival of more honey bees in mustard fields during the pollination period helped healthy fertilisation and pod formation of the crop,”