India's estimated groundnut output down 24 per cent in 2014-15

Failure to procure crop last year at minimum support price forced farmers to explore different crops

Failure of Centre to procure groundnut crop at Minimum Support Price (MSP) in 2013-14 and delayed onset of monsoon this year in Gujarat, the country's major groundnut producing state, has brought India's estimated kharif groundnut output down 24 per cent in 2014-15, data collated by Central Organisation for Oil Industry & Trade (COOIT) suggests.

India's kharif groundnut production for 2014-15 is estimated at 3.57 million tonnes, decrease of 24.28 per cent from last year's output of 4.71 million tonnes, the data highlights.

Country's groundnut acreage for the current financial year is also estimated to be down by almost 14 per cent. While groundnut was sown on 4.32 million hectares in 2013-14, the acreage for 2014-15 provisionally stood at 3.72 million hectares, a reduction of 13.77 per cent.

"Last year, despite bumper groundnut production, the Centre failed to procure the crop at MSP, forcing farmers to shift to cotton and other crops this season. Consequently, this year, country's estimated groundnut acreage and output is down," said B V Mehta, executive director, Solvent Extractors' Association of India (SEA), the premier association of vegetable oil industry and trade.

Mehta added, "Also, this year, monsoon made a delayed entry to Gujarat, which has the maximum groundnut production in the country. Monsoon entered Gujarat only after mid-July, forcing farmers to explore other crops."

Meanwhile, Gujarat's kharif groundnut production for 2014-15 is estimated at 1.44 million tonnes, down 42.40 per cent from last year's 2.5 million tonnes, the data highlighted.   

Rajasthan, with estimated production of 6.50 lakh tonnes this year, a 25 per cent rise, is the second highest groundnut producing state. The state's crop output in 2013-14 was 5.20 lakh tonnes.

Production of the crop in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh this year is estimated to be 3.80 lakh tonnes, while in Karnataka, it is estimated to be 3.10 lakh tonnes, down from last year's 3.50 lakh tonnes.

In Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and in Tamil Nadu, the output is estimated to be 2 lakh tonnes.