Rap Seed

INDIA--Mustard/Rapeseed cultivation is done widely throughout the world. It is basically a winter crop and it requires a temperate climate to prosper. The planting season or the sowing period in India is during the Rabi season i.e. October to November. The crop starts flowering in the months of November, December, January and February. The harvesting period is from February to March. It needs a right proportion of rainfall that is provided by the monsoon during the sowing seasons of the crop. The rapeseed/mustard crop is actually acts as a very good cover of soil in winters.

Climatic conditions, especially progress of South-West monsoon is a major variable shaping the fortunes of mustard seed. Price of other domestic and global oil seeds would also have significant bearing on mustard seed prices. Major trading centres in mustard seed in the country are Jaipur, Hapur, Sriganganagar, Alwar in Rajasthan, Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkatta

Rapeseed is grown for the production of animal feed, vegetable oil for human consumption, and biodiesel; leading producers include the European Union, Canada, the United States, Australia, China and India. In India, it is grown on 13% of cropped land. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, rapeseed was the third leading source of vegetable oil in the world in 2000, after soybean and oil palm, and also the world's second leading source of protein meal, although only one-fifth of the production of the leading soybean meal. World production is growing rapidly, with FAO reporting that 36 million tones of rapeseed was produced in the 2003-4 season, and 46 million tones in 2004-5. In Europe, rapeseed is primarily cultivated for animal feed (due to its very high lipid and medium protein content), and is a leading option for Europeans to avoid importation of GMO products.

The rapeseed is the valuable, harvested component of the crop. The crop is also grown as a winter-cover crop. It provides good coverage of the soil in winter, and limits nitrogen run-off. The plant is ploughed back in the soil or used as bedding. On some ecological or organic operations, livestock such as sheep or cattle are allowed to graze on the plants.

Processing of rapeseed for oil production provides rapeseed animal meal as a by-product. The by-product is a high-protein animal feed, competitive with soya. The feed is mostly employed for cattle feeding, but also for pigs and chickens (though less valuable for these). The meal has a very low content of the glucosinolates responsible for metabolism disruption in cattle and pigs. Rapeseed "oil cake" is also used as a fertilizer in China, and may be used for ornamentals, such as Bonsai, as well.

Rapeseed has been linked with adverse effects in asthma and hay fever sufferers. Some suggest that oilseed pollen increases breathing difficulties. But this is unlikely as rapeseed is an entomophilous crop, with pollen transfer primarily by insects. Others suggest that this is caused by the inhalation of oilseed rape dust, and that allergies to the pollen are relatively rare. It may also be that since rapeseed in flower has a distinctive and pungent smell, hay fever sufferers wrongly blame the rapeseed just because they can smell it. An alternative explanation may be that it is simply the sheer volume of rapeseed pollen in the air around farmland which triggers an allergic reaction in hay fever sufferers on inhalation, or following prolonged exposure to high levels.

Worldwide production of rapeseed (including canola) rose to 46.4 million metric tons in 2005, the highest recorded total (source: FAO).

Top Rapeseed Producers - 2005 (million metric ton)
	China	13.0
	Canada	8.4
	India	6.4
	Germany	4.7
	France	4.4
	United Kingdom	1.9
	Poland	1.4
	Australia	1.1
World Total		46.4
Source: UN Food & Agriculture Organisation (FAO)

Mustard and rapeseed production is on a rising. World’s total production of rapeseed hovers around 40 million tones. Mustard seed production reached at a figure of 36.54 million tones in 2001-2002. European Union leads the list of rapeseed producing countries with around 13 million tons of production. The production of rapeseed oil is around 14 million tons.

As the leading producing countries rapeseed oil usually produce it to meet their own domestic demand, that’s why the world trade in this oil is very low as compared to the other edible oils. Canada is the largest exporter of the mustard and rapeseed seeds and seed oil. Australia follows Canada in the production of seeds. The major seed importing countries are Japan and Mexico and US leads the list of mustard and rapeseed oil importing countries.

Rapeseed oil/Canola oil contains both omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids in a ratio of 2:1 and is second only to flax oil in omega-3 fatty acid. Canola oil's proponents claim that it is one of the most heart-healthy oils and has been reported to reduce cholesterol levels, lower serum tryglyceride levels, and keep platelets from sticking together.

Since omega-3 fatty acids rapidly become offensive smelling and subject to rancidification when processed with high heat and oxygen, the oil is then subjected to a deodorizing process which removes much of the Omega-3 and replaces it with Tran’s fats. Mustard oil / Rapseed oil is composed mostly of the fatty acids oleic acid, linoleic acid and erucic acid. At 5%, mustard seed oil has the lowest saturated fat content of the edible oils.

Due to its high content of erucic acid, which is considered noxious, mustard oil is not considered suitable for human consumption in the United States, Canada and the European Union, although mustard oil with a low content of erucic acid is available. In India, mustard oil is generally heated almost to smoking before it is used for cooking; this may be an attempt to reduce the content of noxious substances, and does reduce the strong smell and taste.

During the production of oil, pressed cakes of the seeds are left over that have some amount of oil content. These cakes are distilled to make oil cakes, which serves as an animal feed. In the production process, around 37% oil is yielded and the rest is oil cake.

Mustard/Rapeseed oil is the third largest edible oil produced in the world after Soy oil and Palm oil. At a production level of 13-14 million tons, it accounts for about 12% of the total World's edible oil production. However the export trade has come down, due to the dominance of other oils like palm and soya, which have become comparatively cheaper. The share has come down to almost 3% from the earlier figures of about 5% (of the total 30 million tons of edible oils traded in the export market annually).

The production and consumption of this oil has been growing at the rate of 4.65% and 5.03% respectively (compound growth over the last decade). Canada is the major exporter of seed and oil. Other major producers like China, India and EU are large consumers themselves. On crushing rapeseed or mustard, oil and meal are obtained. The average oil recovery from the seed is about 33%. The remaining is obtained as cake, which is rich in proteins and is used as an animal feed ingredient.

Global Situation

Global mustard oil production is estimated around 13-14 million tons with Canada dominating the global trade in mustard oil. Global output and consumption of mustard oil is growing at 4 and 5% per annum respectively. Global production of mustard seed is estimated around 38-42 million tons. China, European Union, Canada and India are leading producers of mustard seed. Global mustard seed trade is estimated around 5-6 million tons per annum. Global trade in mustard oil cake is 2.5 million tons.

The global production of rapeseed and its oil is around 38-42 and 12-14 million tons. China (11-12 million tons), EU (10-13 million tons), Canada (6-7 million tons) and India (4-7 million tons) are the world's major producers. 4.5-6, 1.5 and 2.5 million tons of seed, oil and meal are traded globally.

Canada (2.5-3.5 million tons) and Australia (1.5 million tons) are major exporters, while Japan (2 million tons) and Mexico (1 million tons) are the major importers of seed. Canada is the major exporter of oil too. US is the major importer of oil.

Indian Situation

India is self-sufficient in mustard seed and oil as import and export of the commodity is almost non-existent. However India exports around 400,000 tons of oil cake. Cultivation of mustard is between October-November and February-March. Major growing areas are Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana. Broadly seven varieties of mustard rapeseed are grown in India. Most popular varieties grown in Indian subcontinent are Brassica Juncea, Braassca campestris and Brassica napus L.

Being an important source of edible oil and feed meal to the country, mustard is undoubtedly the focus of Indian edible oil industry. The seasonal nature of the production of mustard seed and its high susceptibility to natural fallacies, wide consumption spread all through the year, the nature of the existing supply and value chain, the present dependence on the other edible oils and oilseeds traded in the country and abroad provides tremendous opportunity for 'trade' in this commodity. The ups and downs in production, arrivals in the mandi, international prices of other oilseeds and oils, heavy presence of speculators and stockists and the presence of a large unorganized crushing sector cause daily price volatility in prices.

In North India, mustard oil is also used for rub-downs and massages (see ayurveda). To get around the restriction in Western countries, the oil is often sold "for external use only" in stores catering to Indian immigrants.

In India the restrictions on mustard oil are viewed as an attempt by foreign multi-national corporations to replace mustard oil with canola oil, a variety of rapeseed with low erucic acid content. But for North Indians, mustard oil is not just a cooking medium but it is very much intricately interwoven with their culture. They have been using it for ages and dispute that there is enough evidence for the toxicity of erucic acid.

India produces 4-7, 1-2, 2-4 million tons of seed, oil and mustard. India does not export or import seed and oil. Meal is exported. Rapeseed & mustard is cultivated in the rabi season (Oct-Nov to Feb-Mar). Production is highly dependent on the weather.

The major growing states are Rajasthan (40%), Uttar Pradesh (16%), and Haryana/Punjab (15%). The oil content varies between 36-42%, with average oil recovery of 34-35%. The remaining is used as rapeseed meal cake.

India exports around 4 lakh tons of meal.

Natural rapeseed oil contains erucic acid, which is mildly toxic to humans in large doses but is used as a food additive in smaller doses. Canola, originally a syncopated form of the abbreviation "Can.O., L-A." (Canadian Oilseed, Low-Acid) that was used by the Manitoba government to label the seed during its experimental stages, is now a trade name for low erucic acid rapeseed. Sometimes the "Canola-quality" sticky note is applied to other varieties as well.