Farmers are Sowing More Sesame and Groundnut Seeds as Cooking Oil Prices Continue to Increase

Farmers have also expanded the acreage of groundnut, some other oilseed crops cultivated throughout the summer, according to a media report.  With all of this, the total summer sowing area now amounts to 11.18 lakh hectares, up approximately 25% over the previous three years' average.

According to data, farmers have so far sown sesame on 1.07 lakh hectares, an increase of roughly 85% above last year's record sowing area of 58,291 hectares. According to the information released by the State's agriculture department, it is marginally higher than last year's equivalent estimate of 97,799 hectares and has appeared as the second most cultivated area after pearl millet this summer.

Furthermore, farmers in Saurashtra planted sesame in the largest planting area of the crop. Sesamum sowing has been reported on 2,400 hectares in south Gujarat districts, 1700 hectares in north Gujarat, 1200 hectares in central Gujarat, and 1100 hectares in Kutch.

In Saurashtra, Junagadh has recorded sesame seeding on 22,500 hectares, making it the state's largest sesame district, followed by Surendranagar (17,500 hectares) and Amreli (15,500 hectares) (16,500 ha). Other Saurashtra districts where sesame has been cultivated in large quantities include Gir Somnath (9,700 ha), Rajkot (7,300 ha), Bhavnagar (7,100 ha), Jamnagar (6,000 ha), and Devbhumi Dwarka (5,300 ha).

Farmers have also planted groundnut on 60,820 hectares, up 23% from the average crop area of 49,255 hectares during the previous three years. It's also a smidgeon greater than the 59,193 hectares recorded in the same period the previous year.

Groundnut sowing has been reported in 24,000 hectares in Banaskantha and 10,000 hectares in Bhavnagar. With a total area of 60,820 acres, groundnut is the fifth largest crop in the world. Farmers planted fodder in 3.54 ha making it the second-largest crop group behind cereals (3.57 ha). According to the data, vegetables were sown in 1.03 ha.