India is likely to produce 5.8 million tonnes of rapeseed in 2015/16, up 16 percent from a year ago, thanks to beneficial weather conditions in key producing northern states, the head of the Central Organisation for Oil Industry and Trade (COOIT) told Reuters on Sunday.
Rapeseed is the main winter-sown oilseed in India and higher production will help the country to limit edible oils imports. The expected increase in output is thanks to favourable weather in northern states such as Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Harayana, COOIT President Laxmichand Aggarwal said.
In 2014/15 drought and hail storms trimmed India's rapeseed output by 23 percent from the previous year to 5 million tonnes.
India, the world's biggest buyer of edible oils, imports mainly palm oil from Indonesia and Malaysia and soyoil from Argentina and Brazil.