With drought taking its toll, India's oilseeds production has fallen by a massive one-fourth to the lowest in more than 13 years at 157.5 lakh tonne from 208 lakh tonne, it was officially announced on Thursday.
The fourth advance estimates for 2002-03 released in New Delhi however are marginally higher than the 155.7-lakh tonne output pegged in the third estimates prepared on April 4 this year.
Due to the worst drought in more than 100 years, one-third of groundnut and more than one-fifth of soyabean output has been wiped out even as scanty September rains badly hit the mustard crop, according to the estimates.
The estimate for kharif output has been increased to 92.2 lakh tonne from 84.2 lakh tonne but that for rabi revised downwards to 65.3 lakh tonne as against the earlier estimate of 71.5 lakh tonne.
This is because the output of mustard, the most important oilseed for the rabi season, is pegged at 39.7 lakh tonne against the earlier projection of 45.4 lakh tonne, down from 50.4 lakh tonne in 2001-02.
Groundnut estimates have been revised to 51.1 lakh tonne, from 46.2 lakh tonne (72 lakh tonne in 2001-02).
Against an earlier estimate of 42.9-lakh tonne soyabean production, its output is now put higher at 45.2 lakh tonne but is 22.8 per cent lower than the previous year's 58.6 lakh tonne.