Domestic Castor Production Estimated to Decrease to 15.58 Lakh Tonnes
28-Apr-2025 08:45 PM
Mumbai. Domestic Castor production is expected to fall sharply due to reduction in sowing area and below average yield rate. At the national level, the castor production area has come down from 9.88 lakh hectares in the 2023-24 season to 8.68 lakh hectares in the 2024-25 season.
Under this, the sowing area in Gujarat fell from 7.24 lakh hectares to 6.46 lakh hectares, in Rajasthan from 1.93 lakh hectares to 1.70 lakh hectares and in Andhra / Telangana slipped from 60 thousand hectares to 38 thousand hectares. In other states of the country, its area improved from 12 thousand hectares to 14 thousand hectares.
On the basis of sowing area and average yield rate, the total domestic production of castor is estimated to decline from 1976 lakh tonnes in the 2023-24 season to 15.58 lakh tonnes in the 2024-25 season.
Under this, the production in the most prominent producing state- Gujarat is likely to decline from 15.74 lakh tonnes to 12.26 lakh tonnes, Rajasthan from 3.14 lakh tonnes to 2.71 lakh tonnes, Andhra Pradesh / Telangana from 80 thousand tonnes to 50 thousand tonnes and other states from 8 thousand tonnes to 7 thousand tonnes.
The average yield rate of castor was estimated to be 2000 kg per hectare in the 2023-24 season, whereas in the 2024-25 season it is likely to decline to 1796 kg per hectare. In Gujarat, the productivity rate fell from 2174 tonnes per hectare to 1897 kg per hectare and in Rajasthan from 1630 kg per hectare to 1594 kg per hectare,
while in Andhra Pradesh / Telangana, this yield rate increased from 1334 kg to 1440 kg per hectare. In other states of the country, the yield rate of castor fell from 636 kg to 509 kg per hectare.
In the southern states, the arrival of new castor had started from October-November and now most of the stock of the farmers has been sold.
Its arrival started in Rajasthan from December-January and in Gujarat from January-February, which is still continuing.
Due to a sharp decline in production, the price of castor is expected to remain strong. The export performance of castor oil and meal is almost normal.