Groundnut (Peanuts)

Groundnut also called peanut is an oilseed derived from the fruit of the groundnut plant. 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. Groundnut seeds are a rich source of edible oil (43-55) and protein (25-28%). Groundnut kernels are approx. 70% of weight in shells and kernels have an oil recovery of 40-42%.

Global production of groundnut seed and oil in year 2007-08 was 35.5 million tonnes and 4.78 Million tonnes respectively. China is the largest producer of groundnut in the world followed by India, Nigeria, USA, Indonesia and Sudan. Top groundnut oil producers - China (2.5 Million tonnes) and India (2 million tons). The other regions where groundnut oil is produced includes sub-Saharan African countries and central and southern America .

International trade in groundnut is thin due to high level of self-consumption by the producing countries. Only 7.7 % of the world production is sold in the International market during 2007-08.Global trade of groundnut oil is about 1 lakh tons a year. EU and US are major importers. Senegal and Argentina are the major exporters.