Mustard seed up 26% in four months on short supply, spike in oil demand

Apart from a spurt in mustard oil prices, consumers are also being sold contaminated products by traders out to make a quick buck

Mustard seed prices have jumped a staggering 26 per cent the past four months due to short supply and rising household demand for mustard oil as an immunity booster believed to help individuals fight coronavirus (Covid-19).

In the benchmark Alwar (Rajasthan) mandi, rape/mustard seed prices surpassed the benchmark Rs 5,000 a quintal to trade at Rs 5,025 on Tuesday, up 25.6 per cent from about Rs 4,000 a quintal on April 1. In the Jaipur (Rajasthan) mandi, rape/mustard seed prices shot up by 24 per cent to trade at Rs 5,028 a quintal from Rs 4,050 on April 1.

While the sudden