Now Reading: Mustard oil at Rs 210 a litre, butter scarce ahead of Diwali
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Mustard oil at Rs 210 a litre, butter scarce ahead of Diwali
Mustard oil prices have surged 31 per cent in ten days, reaching Rs 210 a litre from Rs 160, just weeks before Diwali. Distributors say supplies of butter have also fallen sharply, with monthly inflow dropping from Rs 15 lakh to Rs 3 to 4 lakh over the past three months. The agriculture department attributes the edible oil shortage to a steady shift by farmers towards sugarcane, paddy and wheat.
Deputy agriculture director Ravi Kant Singh said mustard acreage in Moradabad district has risen to 8,649 hectares this season from 7,020 hectares last year, and output is projected at 13,126 tonnes against 10,011 tonnes. However, supplies to market are yet to reflect the increase. Meanwhile, distributors expect normal butter supply to take about two months more.
Indian Opinion Analysis
Mustard oil at Rs 210 a litre means Diwali lighting this year carries a direct cost for every household that uses it for diyas. The price jump from Rs 160 in ten days outpaces the slow recovery in sowing area, 8649 hectares now versus 7020 last year, and production is still months away from market impact. Butter supplies have collapsed too, with distributor inflow falling from Rs 15 lakh a month to Rs 3 to 4 lakh. Both shortages spring from farmers shifting to sugarcane, paddy and wheat. The agriculture department expects mustard output of 13,126 tonnes this season, but that harvest will come only after the festival peak.
Source: amarujala.com
This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Methodology and corrections.
