Date Posted - INDIA BUSINESS INSIGHT- Oilseeds output in India isestimated to have exceeded 250 lakh tonnes in 2003-2004, due to bountifulrains in the last monsoon season. There has been a bumper soyabean andgroundnut crop, which has prompted the Government of India (GOI) to reviseupwards oilseeds output estimates for 2003-2004 from 249.75 lakh tonnes to250.08 lakh tonnes, which is a 67 percent increase over the 150.58 milliontonnes in 2002-2003. Rabi oilseeds production estimate has increased from82.86 lakh tonnes to 84.29 lakh tonnes.

Groundnut output is estimated to be 85.34 million tonnes (84.77 milliontonnes). According to the third advance estimates by the Directorate ofEconomics and Statistics, mustard output has increased from 39.18 lakhtonnes in drought-hit 2002-2003 to 58.8 lakh tonnes in 2003-2004.