Climate change prompts Indian farmers to replace rapeseed with other crops

India’s rapeseed and mustard crops are facing a significant decline despite high prices. Above-average temperatures during the planting season have prompted many farmers to switch to more heat-resistant crops such as wheat and potatoes, which offer similar financial returns, a trend highlighted by industry experts in an interview with Reuters. The decline in production of India’s main winter oilseed could put pressure on the country, the world’s largest importer of vegetable oils, to increase costly imports of palm, soybean and sunflower oils to meet growing domestic demand for cooking oils. In October and the first few weeks of November, temperatures remained 2°C to 7°C above normal in key growing districts of Rajasthan, the country’s largest rapeseed-producing state. Anil Chatar, a leading trader in the region, said the heat had hampered rapeseed germination in many places, forcing farmers to switch crops. “In cases where germination did not occur or the plants wilted, many ...