Is it possible to find peanuts in India? How many types of peanuts are likely to be found in that area?
Peanuts are native to South America. It is unknown where peanuts came from in India. According to Lieberher (1928), the Jesuit fathers who followed Vasco da Gama to India brought this plant.
Missionaries brought South and Central American plants to the flora of the West Indies. The “native” Indian species probably came from Brazil.
Since the plant was found in South America as early as 1500s AD, it was probably introduced to India by 1600s (John, et al., 1955). A plant so valuable could not have hibernated there for 200 years without being recognized.
According to Badami (1936), Magellan brought peanuts to India around 1519. The agency will probably not introduce this product to the Philippines.
1800 Buchanan’s report on South Kanara, Malabar and Mysore mentions this plant growing with turmeric (Buchanan, 1807). South Arcot region of Tamil Nadu grows the most groundnut.
The “local” variation was the same in Bombay, Mysore and Madras during this period. Badami (1936) linked Mysore groundnut to South America, Philippines, China and Java based on Kew herbarium specimens.
Peanuts probably came from one of these regions and were brought to India.
Considering that South Arcot had the most groundnut in the mid-19th century, its introduction probably began on the east coast of Madras.
Common groundnut in South Arcot is called “Manilakottai”, perhaps referring to its origin in Manila, Philippines (Sheshadri, 1962). Subba Rao believes that peanuts came to India via the Philippines (1909).
Watt stated that Dr. DeMott said that peanuts came from China (1892). These reports claim that groundnut was introduced from Central or South America to China or the Pacific Islands (Sheshadri, 1962).
Plant type 3 suggests that peanuts arrived separately from Africa via the west coast to India, complicating the issue of introduction.
In 1850, the Madras Presidency of India cultivated about 1000 hectares of groundnut. Most of the groundnuts were planted in 1895 in the South Arco region of Madras. Pondicherry port and French colony co-existed.
Watt (1893-1889) says that the Pondicherry-France groundnut trade flourished from February (1884). .. In the big city of French Settlements, the peanut trade is dominant. Surprisingly, South Arcot region produces a lot of nuts.
Govindair doubled the planting and set up oil extraction facilities to increase groundnut production in Madras. Maharaja Bhagwatsinheji planted groundnut in Saurashtra, Gujarat (Achaya 1990).
Disease halted the rapid growth of the peanut crop until 1895, when 140,000 acres were planted. In 1897 and 1898, production was cut in half. (1908) in 1902, after the introduction of a Mozambican groundnut variety, groundnut cultivation reached the level of 1895.
Since then, Coromandel has dominated India’s groundnut production. Between 1901 and 1922, the Bombay Department of Agriculture imported Coromandel from Pondicherry, Spanish and Virginia from the United States, and Little Bold from Japan. (Achaya 1990).
Between 1910 and 1945, the crop spread from Madras to Gujarat and southwest India.
Groundnut production area of India
India grew 8 million hectares of groundnut in 2003. (2004) groundnut cultivation increased from 6.8 million hectares in 1980-1981 to 8 million hectares in 2002-2003. 90% of the cultivated land is in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Maharashtra.
Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh cultivate more than half of their land. Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh grow 28 and 24 percent of the country’s groundnuts.
Tamil Nadu and Karnataka cultivate 15% of the total land. Maharashtra produces 8% of the world’s groundnuts.
Groundnut area of Andhra Pradesh increased from 1.3 million in 1980-81 to 2.2 million in 1996-97. The groundnut area of Andhra Pradesh has grown faster than that of Gujarat.
Between 1980-81 and 1996-97, Gujarat’s agricultural area fell from 2.1 million hectares to 1.8 million hectares. Groundnut farming in Maharashtra has declined. Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have increased groundnut farming.
Groundnut planting patterns in India between the 1960s and the Green Revolution were investigated. Green revolution of northern states reduced groundnut production (IEMR, 1993). Increased focus on wheat and rice cultivation is to blame.
Researchers have developed two new peanut varieties rich in oleic acid. The new cultivars have 80% higher oleic acid than regular peanuts (40-50%).
As this is the first time such a variety is being sold in India, small farmers, food businesses and consumers should benefit.
Varieties of peanuts
The Variety Recognition Committee approved two varieties, Girnar 4 (ICGV 15083) and Girnar 5 (ICGV 15090) with an oleic acid content of about 80% for release for cultivation in India during the Annual Groundnut Workshop held from 25-27 May 2019 . .
The All India Coordinated Research Project on Groundnut Multisite Trial (AICRP-G) conducted in 2017 and 2018 served as the basis for the committee’s conclusions.
This comment was made by Radhakrishnan, Director, Indian Council of Agricultural Research – Management of Groundnut Research (ICAR-DGR).
Lowering low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, which reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, is one of the health benefits of oleic acid.
According to Radhakrishnan, maintaining high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels also balances the lipid profile. The term “good cholesterol” also refers to HDL.
Research shows that peanut oil with a high oleic content is less prone to oxidation, which, in addition to its health benefits, extends its shelf life.
The commercialization of high-oleic peanut varieties is a clear example of market-based crop improvement that benefits smallholder farmers as well as other participants in the value chain.
A closed-loop value chain for high-oleic groundnuts ensures high genetic purity, according to Kiran Sharma, Director, Pulses and Rainfed Cereals Research Program at the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research and Deputy Director General (Research), ICRISAT. The seeds are supplied to farmers with high quality to meet the standards of processors (CGIAR).
The team members were from ICAR-DGR, Telangana State Agricultural University, Tirupati Regional Agricultural Research Station, Junagadh Agricultural University, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University and Indian Council for Agricultural Research.
