Castor Oil & Derivatives clusters in India
| Cluster | State / districts | Type | Season | Export gateway |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Assam estates; Guwahati Tea Auction Centre | Assam — Dibrugarh; Tinsukia; Jorhat; Sivasagar; Golaghat | agricultural | First flush Mar-Apr; second flush May-Jun; rains Jul-Sep; autumnal Oct-Nov (ASSUMPTION - standard flush calendar) | Kolkata/Haldia |
| Darjeeling hills (87 gardens); Kolkata/Siliguri auctions | West Bengal — Darjeeling; Kalimpong | agricultural | First flush Mar-Apr; second flush May-Jun; autumn Oct-Nov (ASSUMPTION) | Kolkata/Haldia |
| Coonoor auction centre; Kochi auction | Tamil Nadu; Kerala; Karnataka — Nilgiris; Coimbatore (TN); Idukki; Wayanad (KL); Chikkamagaluru (KA) | agricultural | Year-round plucking, peak Apr-Jun & Oct-Dec (ASSUMPTION) | Cochin |
| North Gujarat castor belt; crushing at Ahmedabad-Kadi-Deesa | Gujarat (>75-80% of crop); Rajasthan; AP — Banaskantha; Mehsana; Sabarkantha; Kutch (GJ) | agricultural | Harvest Dec-Mar (ASSUMPTION) | Mundra |
Cluster notes
India tea exports 254.67 mn kg CY2024 (+9.92%) per Tea Board via PTI; 257.88 mn kg FY2024-25 at Rs 290.97/kg (Tea Board via IANS); North India exports 161.20 mn kg FY25; Assam-specific split: unavailable Assessment: Bulk CTC to UAE/Iraq/Iran/Russia; orthodox premium to EU/US; India is #2 exporter (2024, Tea Board)
GI: YES - Darjeeling Tea (India's first GI, 2004; registry not re-verified). unavailable in this session (Tea Board region-wise table not fetched) Assessment: Premium/protected-origin product; Germany, Japan, UK, US; low volume, high value (volume: unavailable)
South India exports 100.68 mn kg CY2024 (+11.02%) - Tea Board via IANS (tier 5) Assessment: South India exports ~100 mn kg CY2024 (Tea Board) mostly bulk/low-price; opportunity in flavoured/iced-tea grades
Castor oil exports ~629,846 MT / ~USD 1.009 bn FY2024-25 (industry summary citing SEA, tier 5); Gujarat 15.95 lakh t of India's 19.59 lakh t castor seed 2023-24 (PJTAU citing govt, tier 5) = ~81% (ESTIMATED) Assessment: India is the dominant world castor-oil supplier (share: unavailable); China/EU/US buyers; derivatives (sebacic acid, 12-HSA) add value
Associations and directories
Export promotion and producer bodies relevant to castor oil & derivatives: Tea Board India; Solvent Extractors' Association of India (SEA).
Frequently asked questions
Which Indian state produces the most castor oil & derivatives?
Our cluster data lists Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu; Kerala; Karnataka as the main sources; see the table for districts and seasons.
When is the castor oil & derivatives season in India?
Assam: First flush Mar-Apr; second flush May-Jun; rains Jul-Sep; autumnal Oct-Nov (ASSUMPTION - standard flush calendar); West Bengal: First flush Mar-Apr; second flush May-Jun; autumn Oct-Nov (ASSUMPTION).
How do you verify castor oil & derivatives suppliers?
We check registrations (GST, IEC, FSSAI or BIS where relevant), visit the unit, review past export documents and test a sample lot before listing a supplier.
Related
Source castor oil & derivatives from India
Tell us grade, volume and destination.