Glacier FarmMedia – The United States Department of Agriculture’s attaché in New Delhi forecast an increase India’s production of rapeseed-mustard for 2023/24. The attaché projected a harvest of 11.90 million tonnes versus the 11.70 million expected by the department.
That’s slightly more than the 2022/23 crop, which the New Delhi desk placed at 11.83 million tonnes compared to the USDA’s official number of 11.30 million. The report noted favourable cold weather during the rabi crop season proved to be beneficial to the 2023/24 crop while harvested area and yields were relatively steady.
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The New Delhi desk projected the 2023/24 crush at 10.40 million tonnes, while the USDA was 200,000 tonnes less. Total domestic consumption was pegged at 11.80 million tonnes by the attaché with the USDA lower at 11.55 million.
There was a wide disparity in 2023/24 ending stocks, with the attaché at 850,000 tonnes compared to the USDA’s 574,000.
The report noted India neither imports nor exports rapeseed-mustard seeds. Due to high volumes of domestic use, the country exports small amounts of oil and meal.
India’s rapeseed oil production for 2023/24 was estimated by the attaché at 3.95 million tonnes with the USDA at 4.29 million. Exports were placed at 15,000 tonnes by the attaché and 10,000 by the department, with domestic use taking up the rest.
The oil’s ending stocks for 2023/24 were projected by the New Delhi desk at 340,000 tonnes with the USDA higher at 397,000.
Rapeseed meal production for 2023/24 was set at 6.15 million tonnes by the attaché with the USDA at 6.07 million. Exports are much larger than oil, with the attaché at 1.90 million tonnes and the USDA at 1.10 million. The rest is for feed with the New Delhi desk at 4.30 million tonnes and the department at 4.75 million.
Ending vary widely, with the attaché at 134,000 tonnes compared to the department at 417,000.
— Glen Hallick reports for MarketsFarm from Winnipeg.
