India’s mustard production in 2024-25 fell from 13.26 million tonnes to 12.67 million tonnes due to decline in area. Photo courtesy: PTI
Mustard production in the country can be increased by expanding areas in non-traditional states like Chhattisgarh, where productivity can be increased to 70 per cent due to very low yield now, and a lot of rice fallow land which is left unsown in winter can be exploited with appropriate planning.
Sharing his views on the prospects of mustard crop in Chhattisgarh, PK Rai, former director of Indian Rapeseed-Mustard Research Institute of ICAR said. business Line Conversion of rice fallow land into productive agricultural land by adopting rapeseed-mustard cultivation provides a remarkable opportunity to increase farm income, improve crop intensity, strengthen edible oil security and promote sustainable agriculture.
Rai, who is currently the director of ICAR’s Raipur-based National Institute of Biotic Stress Management (NIBSM), said the total cultivable area in Chhattisgarh is 4.78 million hectares (MH), of which the net irrigated area is 23 per cent. Paddy crop is grown in about 3.9 MH, mostly under rainfed conditions, in the highlands and shallow lowlands.
scope to increase yield
Pointing out that almost half of the rice area remains fallow in the Rabi season, this is a big opportunity for mustard crop. When asked why farmers leave fields without sowing, he said only about 32 percent of the paddy area is irrigated. “There are several factors such as rapid decline in soil moisture after monsoon, waterlogging in terai (tal) areas, late harvesting due to preference for long duration paddy varieties, fear of damage by stray cattle and limited technical awareness,” he said.
He also said that the current area under rapeseed-mustard in Chhattisgarh is very less – about 31,000 hectares and production of 17,260 tonnes. There is scope to increase the productivity of mustard from the current 5-6 quintals per hectare to 11-12 quintals per hectare, he said, adding that the national average of yield in 2024-25 was 14.63 quintals per hectare.
When asked why mustard is grown only in winter, Rai said it is a highly suitable crop among all Rabi crops for rice fallow systems due to its adaptability, low water requirement and short duration.
“Mustard can grow successfully with limited irrigation or even without irrigation under suitable moisture conditions. Most varieties mature within 90-120 days, which fits well between the rice harvest and before the onset of summer in the state. Additionally, mustard can tolerate moderate drought and temperature variability,” he said.
encouraging results
He said the sowing period from mid-November to first week of December coincides with cool and favorable winter temperatures between 25-30 degrees Celsius, which is ideal for the growth and development of mustard including rapeseed. He also said that there is a possibility of mixed cropping with gram.
“Multi-location field evaluation conducted by NIBSM during the last three years has yielded encouraging results for the DRMR-150-35 variety, which is early maturing in 95-110 days, making it highly suitable for post-harvest rice,” he said. Furthermore, no incidence of major pests and diseases except aphids was observed, indicating its strong adaptability for biotic stress tolerance.
India’s mustard production was reduced from 13.26 million tonnes to 12.67 million tonnes in 2024-25 due to decline in area. This year, there is a marginal improvement in the area from 8.66 MH to 8.94 MH in 2024-25.
Published on February 12, 2026
