Castor acreage down by 0.32 mn hectares

According to SEA, the area covered under castor crop at present is still higher than normal sowing area of 0.78 mn ha

After having registered record sowing and production last Kharif season, the area under castor seed sowing during the ongoing Kharif season has declined by 0.32 million to 0.85 million hectares as on September 13. The castor acreage across the country was recorded at 1.17 million hectares in 2011.

However, as per the data provided by the Solvent Extractors' Association of India (SEA), the area covered under castor crop at present is still higher than the normal sowing area of 0.78 million hectares.

"Area coverage during Kharif 2012 is lower by 0.32 million hectares compared to the corresponding period of Kharif 2011. The dip in castor acreage is due to less area covered in Gujarat," said BV Mehta, executive director, SEA. Also, the year 2011 was an exceptional year when the sowing of castor crop touched the historical high in the wake of record prices of the oilseed luring increased number of farmers go for the castor sowing.

"The prices of castor in 2011 surged to whopping $2,700 per tonne freight-on-board (FOB). Though the acreage is lower this year, it is still higher than the normal area covered under castor crop," he added.

This year's dip is also attributed to lower sowing of the commodity in Gujarat, which accounts for almost 80% of the total castor seed production in India.  As per the data available with the state agriculture department of Gujarat, around 0.65 million hectares have been brought under castor cultivation in the state as on September 19 as compared to 0.77 million hectares last Kharif season.

As per the market players, the spot prices of castor are ranging from Rs 680 to Rs 730 per 20 kg in various markets of North Gujarat, a major castor growing and trading region in Gujarat. It may be mentioned here, that castor spot prices in 2011 had surged to an all time high of Rs 1,240 per 20 kg.

As per SEA's castor crop survey, castor production in India was estimated at 1.61 million tonnes for 2011-12 season (October-September), showing a growth of about 30% over 1.25 million tonnes recorded in 2010-11.