Groundnut is considered to be the one of the most important oilseed crops in the world. It is grown in over 100 countries of the world and plays a crucial role in the world economy. The seeds are a good source of edible oil and proteins present in the groundnut oil cake. The percentage of oil and protein are extracted from the seed are approximately 55% and 28% respectively. The oil cake meal left after the extraction of the oil is used as an animal fodder and fertilizer. The peanut oil is primarily needed as a cooking agent but it also has some industrial uses like in paint, varnish, lubricating oil, soap, furniture polish etc. the peanut seeds are also consumed directly in roasted form, as butter, in brittle and candies etc.Groundnut production has reached the mark of around 34 million tons. China followed by India is the largest producer of this oilseed crop in the world. The groundnut oil production hovers around 8 million tons annually. These two countries are also responsible for the highest consumption of groundnut. The list depicting the major groundnut consuming countries is given belowChinaIndiaNigeriaUnited StatesEuropean UnionExcept European Union, all the countries lie in the list of major groundnut producing countries as well. European Union countries are the largest consumer of groundnuts where the crop is not produced. The major demand i.e. around 75% comes from the food sector and the rest from other sectors.As European union is the largest consumer of the oilseed where it is not produced, it has to rely on imports and that makes the countries in the union the largest importers of groundnut. The trade done in the world in the context of groundnuts is estimated to about 1 lakh tons per year. The leading groundnut exporting countries areArgentinaSenegalNigeriaIndiaUnited StatesChinaVietnamSouth AfricaGambiaThe countries mentioned above contribute to about 90% of the world exports. Argentina makes the largest groundnut exporter to the world. The major countries that satisfy their domestic consumption demand by importing groundnuts areBelgiumFranceGermanyIrelandItalyNetherlandsUnited StatesUnited KingdomSwedenIndonesiaCanadaMalaysiaSingaporePhilippinesJapan |
The groundnut plant is believed to have originated in the South American continent, primarily in the tropical areas of Peru as the archeological records assume. The climate there helped the plant to grow and develop as a wild plant. But no evidence has been found out regarding the confirmation of the above assumption. But the domestication of this plant was done in the valleys of Paraguay only. Groundnut was being cultivated in the new world countries since 2500BC and this was the place where a diversity of the species of groundnut was cultivated.When Columbus found America, groundnut came in to the contact of the rest of the world. The Spaniards who explored the southern America encountered with this nut like seed and soon after, the different varieties of groundnut started to get spread around the world. A type of variety named ‘Virginia’ was taken to Mexico first and then to west Africa. Then it moved to the North America courtesy the West Indies and West Africa in the 17th century. The Peruvian variety was taken to the southeastern Asian regions of China and Philippines by the Spanish ships and ultimately these foreign beans spread all over Asia. The Spanish variety was taken into Africa directly by the Portuguese explorers and there it got mixed with the Virginia variety and was finally introduced into Spain in the 18th century. The latest groundnut variety i.e. Valencia was taken to the country of Spain from Argentina in the 19th century and then it spread over all the Europe later.
Cultivation pattern
Groundnut plant is a tropical plantation, as it requires a hot and humid climate to grow. The basic factor that affects the performance of the crop is rain or extent of irrigation. It is an essential for a good yield of groundnut to have high level of rainfall. Groundnut prospers well in a light, sandy loam soil. The pod needs duration of 4-5 months to ripen. The time at which the crop is to be harvested also requires proper attention. The groundnut fruits are to be harvested exactly when they started to get ripe and not anytime else. At the time of harvesting, the whole plant, even the roots are totally removed from the soil.The planting season in India starts from May and stays till August. It largely depends on the time of the arrival of monsoon in the country. The harvesting season starts from September to January. In India, 2/3rds of the crop is cultivated as a khariff crop and the rest is produced as rabi crop.
Varieties of groundnut
There are vast varieties of groundnut that are grown in the world. but the most popular varieties are mentioned below. All these varieties have different backgrounds, different characteristics and various other features that differentiate them from each otherSpanish group –Small seededMostly cultivated in South Africa and southeastern and southwestern AmericaIncludes – Dixie Spanish, Improved Spanish 2B, GFA Spanish, Argentine, Spantex, Spanette, Shaffers Spanish, Natal Common (Spanish), White Kernel Varieties, Starr, Comet, Florispan, Spanhoma, Spancross and Wilco I.Runner group –Better flavor, better roasting characteristics and higher yieldGrown in Georgia, Alabama, Florida, and South CarolinaIncludes – Southeastern Runner 56-15, Dixie Runner, Early Runner, Virginia Bunch 67, Bradford Runner, Egyptian Giant, Rhodesian Spanish Bunch, North Carolina Runner 56-15, Florunner and Shulamit.Virgina group –Large seeded, high qualityFound in Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee and GeorgiaIncludes – NC 7, NC 9, NC 10C, NC-V 11, VA 93B, NC 12C, VA-C 92R, Gregory, VA 98R, Perry, Wilson, Georgia GreenValencia group –Coarse, reddish stem and large foliageLargely cultivated in New MexicoTennessee red and tennessee white – same as Valencia group except the color of the seed. Rough pods, irregular pods and having a small number of kernels. | |
