Groundnut production in Gujarat is projected to reach a record 42.19 lakh tonnes (lt) in kharif 2024, marking a remarkable 26% increase from the previous year.
“Gujarat is set to achieve a historic groundnut output of 42.19 lakh tonnes this year, surpassing the previous record of 38.55 lakh tonnes established in 2021-22. Favorable rainfall and expanded acreage have significantly contributed to this growth,” stated BV Mehta, Executive Director of The Solvent Extractors’ Association of India (SEA). The SEA concluded its three-day survey in October last week, which highlighted that last year’s groundnut production in Gujarat was 33.45 lakh tonnes.
As a major producer of groundnut—an essential kharif oilseed crop—Gujarat accounts for 40% of India’s total groundnut output. For the past 15 years, the SEA Groundnut Promotion Council has conducted annual surveys to assess the size and quantity of the groundnut crop, benefiting both its members and the broader industry. This year, a 22-member SEA team surveyed key groundnut-producing districts in Gujarat’s Saurashtra region from October 17-19, including BV Mehta and Vinod Patel, Co-Chairman of the SEA Groundnut Promotion Council.
“This significant increase in groundnut production is largely attributed to favorable monsoon conditions, which have resulted in higher yields, rising from 2,045 kg per hectare last year to 2,210 kg per hectare this year. Additionally, the area under cultivation has expanded by 2.75 lakh hectares,” Mehta explained. This year, groundnut cultivation spanned a total of 19.09 lakh hectares in Gujarat, compared to 16.35 lakh hectares in the 2023 kharif season.
The highest yield of 2,625 kg per hectare was recorded in Jamnagar district during the 2024 kharif season, while Dwarka, Junagadh, Gir Somnath, and Porbandar districts reported impressive yields of 2,500 kg per hectare. Last year, the highest per-hectare yield was 2,750 kg in Dwarka district.
“Farmers received good prices for their groundnut crop last year, and the markets remained stable. As a result, many have opted to replace cotton with groundnut this year,” Mehta added.
The survey anticipates that Dwarka district will produce 5.43 lt of groundnut, followed closely by Rajkot at 5.36 lt and Junagadh at 5.20 lt during kharif 2024-25. Additionally, Jamnagar is expected to yield 4.78 lt, Amreli 3.92 lt, and Banaskantha 3.87 lt during this period.
Source: The Business Line
