Mustard seed prices soar in Haryana, fetch ₹1500/quintal over MSP

KARNAL: Mustard seed growers in Haryana are elated as the price of their produce has crossed the minimum support price.

As per reports from mandis in northern districts where harvesting begins early, the price of yellow mustard (desi sarson), climbed to ₹6,500 per quintal and the price of black or hybrid mustard seeds has increased to around ₹5,800 per quintal.

However, the minimum support price (MSP) for this staple oilseed, is fixed at ₹4,650. Government agencies will begin procurement in April.

In the absence of government agencies, private traders are purchasing the seeds in open auctions. “I had cultivated mustard over four acres this year. The seeds were sold for ₹5,680 per quintal against the MSP of ₹4,650,” said Mohan Lal, who sold his produce at a mandi in Kurukshetra. However, farmers said the per acre yield of mustard was underwhelming at around 6-7 quintals.

Traders say the hike in prices can be attributed to increased demand for mustard oil, the price of which has touched ₹160 per litre and may soar further.

“This is for the first time in the several years that the price of mustard seeds has crossed the ₹6,000-mark,”said Naresh Kumar, a commission agent at Ladwa grain market.

As per officials from the state agriculture department, the prices of mustard seeds have increased due to reduction in area under mustard cultivation after many farmers failed to get MSP after the government made registration mandatory on the Meri Fasal Mera Byora (MFMB) portal. “Last year, I had to sell mustard cultivated on six acres below MSP as government agencies imposed restrictions on procurement, which is why this year I only sowed mustard over two acres,” said Praveen Kumar, a farmer.

In 2019, the government procured around 5.19 lakh tones of mustard from farmers registered on the MFMB portal.