Introduction
India along with china accounts for half of the world's
peanut
production. Peanut is used as food- stuff (cooking oil, raw seeds,
roasted, boiled) Animal feed (pressings, seeds, green material, straw)
Industrial raw material (soap, detergent, cosmetics). The
peanut
seed contains 40-50% fat, 20-50% protein, 10-20% carbohydrate and
all these utilities and characteristics add to the demand of peanut in
the world market.
Production area
Grown in tropical and subtropical areas,
peanut thrives between
25-28oC and ca. 500-mm rainfall in open soil. Following are the Indian
regions with plenty of peanut production: Eastern Madhya Pradesh, Andhra
Pradesh, Saurashtra region in Gujarat, West Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu.
Growth promotional activities
Involvement of private sector organizations, exemption from few duties
and the planning of certain programs for export enhancement are the
measures to increase the production of peanut that at present counts for
7.5 millions metric tons annually.