Rape Seeds

Natural rapeseed oil contains erucic acid, which is mildly toxic to humans in large doses but is used as a food additive in smaller doses. Canola, originally a syncopated form of the abbreviation "Can.O., L-A." (Canadian Oilseed, Low-Acid) that was used by the Manitoba government to label the seed during its experimental stages, is now a trade name for low erucic acid rapeseed. Sometimes the "Canola-quality" sticky note is applied to other varieties as well.

Rap Seed

Rapeseed (Brassica napus), also known as rape, oilseed rape, rapa, rapaseed and (in the case of one particular group of cultivars) canola.
Mustard seeds are yellowish colored, small seeds that are used as a spice in many countries<. These seeds are obtained from bush like mustard plant that belongs to the genus Brassica that also include vegetables like cabbage and turnips.
Rapeseed belongs to the plant of the same genus and also known as canola in many countries. In old English, rapum is a name of the present day turnip and the name rapeseed is derived from rapum only.
Mustard seed and rapeseed have great importance in many countries as spices. But, these seeds have important by-products too. Rapeseeds and mustard seeds are sources of rapeseed/mustard seed oil and oilcake. Yellow colored oil is obtained by extraction process of the crushed rape/mustard seeds. In the market, rape oil is not distinguished from mustard oil as both of these come from the same species and possess same properties.
Rapeseed production in India is forecast to rise to 7.0 Mt for 2010-2011, assuming a normal monsoon season. Trade in the rapeseed complex will be limited to importing small volumes of seed and oil with exports of rapeseed meal expected to be unchanged at 0.75 Mt.

Cultivation

INDIA--Mustard/Rapeseed cultivation is done widely throughout the world. It is basically a winter crop and it requires a temperate climate to prosper. The planting season or the sowing period in India is during the Rabi season i.e. October to November. The crop starts flowering in the months of November, December, January and February. The harvesting period is from February to March. It needs a right proportion of rainfall that is provided by the monsoon during the sowing seasons of the crop. The rapeseed/mustard crop is actually acts as a very good cover of soil in winters.

Climatic conditions, especially progress of South-West monsoon is a major variable shaping the fortunes of mustard seed. Price of other domestic and global oil seeds would also have significant bearing on mustard seed prices. Major trading centres in mustard seed in the country are Jaipur, Hapur, Sriganganagar, Alwar in Rajasthan, Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkatta

Rapeseed is grown for the production of animal feed, vegetable oil for human consumption, and biodiesel; leading producers include the European Union, Canada, the United States, Australia, China and India. In India, it is grown on 13% of cropped land. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, rapeseed was the third leading source of vegetable oil in the world in 2000, after soybean and oil palm, and also the world's second leading source of protein meal, although only one-fifth of the production of the leading soybean meal. World production is growing rapidly, with FAO reporting that 36 million tones of rapeseed was produced in the 2003-4 season, and 46 million tones in 2004-5. In Europe, rapeseed is primarily cultivated for animal feed (due to its very high lipid and medium protein content), and is a leading option for Europeans to avoid importation of GMO products.

The rapeseed is the valuable, harvested component of the crop. The crop is also grown as a winter-cover crop. It provides good coverage of the soil in winter, and limits nitrogen run-off. The plant is ploughed back in the soil or used as bedding. On some ecological or organic operations, livestock such as sheep or cattle are allowed to graze on the plants.

Uses

Processing of rapeseed for oil production provides rapeseed animal meal as a by-product. The by-product is a high-protein animal feed, competitive with soya. The feed is mostly employed for cattle feeding, but also for pigs and chickens (though less valuable for these). The meal has a very low content of the glucosinolates responsible for metabolism disruption in cattle and pigs. Rapeseed "oil cake" is also used as a fertilizer in China, and may be used for ornamentals, such as Bonsai, as well.

WORLD PRODUCTION-

For 2010-2011, world production of canola/rapeseed is forecast to decrease slightly due to lower output in Canada, China and the European Union (EU-27), as per AAFC (Agriculture and Agri food Canada) recent report for Canola. In Canada, supplies of canola are forecast to decrease while domestic processors embark on a record setting crush pace as expanded capacity comes on stream. Canadian exports of canola are forecast to decline by almost 16% this crop year as tight domestic supplies limit the industry's ability to capitalize on strong world demand. Canola prices are forecast to average about 10% above 2009-2010, supported by higher United States (US) soybean and soyoil prices, strong Chinese demand for vegetable oils, and strong demand for biofuels in the EU-27.

World canola/rapeseed production for 2010-2011 is forecast to decrease by 5% to 57 Mt due to lower production in Canada, the EU-27 and China.