Castor seed - Agriculture commodities

Castor seed Trading in India

Castor plant (Ricinus communis), a tropical plant belonging to the Euphorbiaceae family, is cultivated around the world for its non-edible oilseed. Castor seed is the source of castor oil, which has a wide variety of uses. The seeds contain between 40% and 60% oil that is rich in triglycerides, mainly ricinolein. The seed contains ricin, a toxin, which is also present in lower concentrations throughout the plant. Castor oil is unique with no synthetic substitute. The uniqueness derived from this oil is the presence of a hydroxyl fatty acid known as ricinoleic acid (12-hydroxyl-cis-9-octadecenoic acid), which constitutes around 90% of the total fatty acids of the oil. Castor oil is also distinguished from other vegetable oils by its high specific gravity, thickness, and hydroxyl value.

What makes Castor seed good investment?

• Castor seed is cultivated in 30 different countries on commercial scale, of which India, China, Brazil, Russia, Thailand, Ethiopia and Philippines are major castor seed growing countries which accounts about 88% of the world's production.

• Castor oil has a wide range of applications mostly industrial.

• The castor oil has got indispensable usage in many industries like cosmetics, surface coatings, toiletries, pharmaceuticals, perfumes, soaps, and medicines.

• Castor oil and its derivatives are also used in lubricating formulations. Castor oil is used either in crude form or in the refined hydrogenated form. Castor cake is an excellent fertilizer because of high content of nitrogen (6.4%), phosphoric acid (2.55%), potash (1%), and moisture retention capability.

Why is Castor seed a wise investment for an Indian trader?

• Castor is a non-edible oilseed crop; basically a cash crop, with average 46% oil recovery.

• Castor seed production in India is around 9-10 lakh MT. Castor oil (extracted from castor seed) and its derivatives have vast and varied applications in the manufacturing of soaps, lubricants, hydraulic and brake fluids, paints, dyes, coatings, inks, cold resistant plastics, waxes and polishes, nylon, pharmaceuticals and perfumes.

• Castor oil is the largest vegetable oil exported out of India.

• India is the biggest exporter of castor oil holding about 70% share of the international trade in this commodity followed by China & Brazil.