RAS question
Rajasthan is the largest producer of which oilseed crop in India?
Correct answer: (C) Mustard (Rapeseed).
Rajasthan is India's largest producer of mustard, formally listed with rapeseed as Rapeseed & Mustard.
Explanation
Rajasthan leads India in Rapeseed & Mustard production. The Rajasthan Economic Review 2025-26 records that, in 2023-24, the state secured first position in Rapeseed & Mustard and contributed 43.43% of India's total production. This matches the standard RAS framing because mustard is treated as the state's primary rabi oilseed: the review groups Rape & Mustard with rabi-season oilseeds, and Bharatpur, Alwar, Sawai Madhopur and Jaipur are major mustard-producing districts. The point to remember is not merely that Rajasthan grows mustard, but that it dominates the national output, unlike groundnut, soybean or sunflower.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Groundnut is not the answer because Gujarat, not Rajasthan, is the largest groundnut producer; the Rajasthan Economic Review 2025-26 also places Rajasthan second in groundnut production, not first.
- (B) Soybean is wrong because Madhya Pradesh is the largest soybean producer, while Rajasthan is only listed in third position for soybean in the Rajasthan Economic Review 2025-26.
- (D) Sunflower is wrong because Karnataka, not Rajasthan, is the leading sunflower producer, and sunflower is not the oilseed for which Rajasthan is identified as India's top producer here.
Concept
This tests Rajasthan agriculture under major crops and cropping seasons, especially the state's position in oilseed production. It recurs in RAS because crop leadership, rabi-kharif classification and district-wise agricultural specialisation are frequent factual anchors in Rajasthan geography.