India is gearing up for a record-breaking rapeseed planting season, fueled by strong demand from China and favorable weather conditions. The surge in rapeseed production is expected to reduce India's dependence on costly edible oil imports.

Farmers are motivated to increase planting due to the profitable returns from the previous year's rapeseed crop. According to Anil Chatar, a trader from Jaipur, farmers are planting more rapeseed this year because of the profits they made last year.

The combined planting area for rapeseed and closely related mustard is expected to increase by 7% to 8% this year. Indian farmers typically sow rapeseed in October and November. So far this year, they have planted 4.17 million hectares, a 13.5% increase compared to the same time last year. Last year, the country planted 8.93 million hectares of rapeseed, exceeding the five-year average of 7.9 million hectares.

China's increased demand for rapeseed meal is a major factor driving the expansion. In the first six months of the current fiscal year, which began on April 1, China imported a record 488,168 metric tons of rapeseed meal from India, compared to just 60,759 tons for the entire 2024/25 fiscal year. This surge in demand followed Beijing's imposition of a 100% retaliatory tariff on canola meal and oil imports from Canada in March.

Strong demand for both rapeseed meal and oil has kept prices above the minimum support price of 5,950 rupees ($68) per 100 kg set by New Delhi for last year's crop, according to Chatar. The Indian government has increased the minimum support price for the new season's rapeseed by 4.2% to 6,200 rupees.

B V Mehta, executive director of the Solvent Extractors' Association of India, noted that there has been good domestic demand for rapeseed oil this year, alongside strong export demand for rapeseed meal from China. Additionally, above-average rainfall has resulted in favorable soil moisture, further boosting planting.