Heat wave knocks out castorseed crop

KOLKATA: The relentless rise in the mercury level across Gujarat and Rajasthan has left the castorseed crop high and dry. Badly affected by heat waves in those two major castor seed producing states during February and March, total castorseed production in the country is set to dip finally to 9.8 lakh tonne from the five-month old estimate of 11 lakh tonne.

Seeing no signs of an immediate relief from the blazing sun in central and western parts of the country, the Solvent Extractors��� Association of India (SEA) has re-engaged Nielsen India to do a fresh survey on the current crop prospect.

The surveying agency, on the back of sample surveys on the status of standing crop, has come to the conclusion that with pod formation being badly affected due to persistent heat wave across western and central regions in the country, especially just on the eve of the maturity stage, castorseed crop is poised to decline to 9.8 lakh tonne in the current year.

The fall in castorseed production is predictably steepest in Gujarat, which is estimated to decline to 7.3 lakh tonne from the January estimate of 8.3 lakh tonne and the last year���s actual production at 6.5 lakh tonne. This is expected to drive down castorseed meal export from the last year���s level of 2.1 lakh tonne.

The castorseed production estimate has been arrived at after testing the probable yield rate from the standing crop status in April, said SEA in a statement. Prior to the international conference on castorseed, held in Rajkot in February, Nielson India had conducted a survey in January, wherein it predicted that the oilseed crop size may stay put at 11 lakh tonne this year.