Rapeseed and Mustard:

(i)Rapeseed and mustard comprise several oilseeds as rai, sarson, toria and taramira.

(ii)These are subtropical crops cultivated during rabi season in north-western and central parts of India.

(iii)These are frost sensitive crops and their yields fluctuate from year to year. But with the expansion of irrigation and improvement in seed technology, their yields have improved and stabilised to some extent.

(iv)About two-third of the cultivated area under these crops is irrigated. These oilseeds together occupy only 2.5 per cent of total cropped area in the country.

(v)Rajasthan contributes about one-third production while other leading producers are Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh. Yields of these crops are comparatively high in Haryana and Rajasthan.