India grows almost all the oil seed crops.
The major ones are discussed below:
(1) Groundnut: India ranks 2nd after China in the world in groundnut production. It grows well on black, vital and a mixture of loamy and sandy soil, land which would not retain water, 20° to 25° C temperature and 50-70 cm rainfall. Although groundnut is a Kharif crop, if proper irrigation facility is available then it can also grow during summer as a Zaid crop.
Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra are major producers of groundnut. Gujarat is the largest producer of groundnut in India. Junagadh, Gir, Somnath, Amreli, Rajkot, Bhavnagar, etc. are other major producers. Gujarat makes maximum use of groundnut oil as edible oil.
(2) Sesame Seeds/Til: Til is used as edible oil in almost entire world. India is the largest exporter of Til in the world. North India grows Til as a Kharif crop whereas south India f” as a Rabi crop and occasionally as Zaid crop. Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh are major Til producing states. Gujarat ranks in India in terms of Til production and the area sown. Banaskantha region is the largest Til producing region of Gujarat.
(3) Mustard (Sarso): Mustard is a Rabi crop. It is quite impotant crop of North India. Mustard seed and its oil are used for edible and medicinal purposes. Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh are major producers of mustard.
(4) Coconut: It grows in hot and humid coastal climate and saline land. In India, the coconut plantations are found in Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andaman-Nicobar, etc. Gujarat’s coastal regions also grow coconut. In south India, coconut oil extracted from the coconut kernel and used as edible oil. Water of green coconutis widely used as a health drink.
(5) Castor Seed: Castor is both Kharif as well as a Rabi crop. India ranks first in castor production in the world. It produces 64% castor of the world. China is the second-largest and Brazil is the third-largest producer in the world. Out of India’s total production, about 80% is produced by Gujarat. Banaskantha, Patan, Sabarkantha, Rajkot, Junagadh, Amreli, etc. produce castor in small quantities. Castor is also produced in Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan.
