Question

Write the economic importance of groundnut?

Answer 1

Hint: Groundnut is also known as peanut. It is an important oil, food, and feed legume crop grown in over 100 countries and contributes to the nutrition of farm families through the consumption of energy. It is known for protein-rich groundnut kernels and provides nutritious fodder (haulms) to livestock.

Complete answer:
The binomial name of the groundnut is Arachis hypogea and belongs to Fabaceae. The seeds are edible and oil is extracted from the seeds.

It has covered 24 million areas worldwide with a total production of 38 million tons in 2010. In the last decade (2000–2010), global groundnut production has increased marginally. The global annual boost in production was 0.4% which was due to both, an annual increase in yield by 0.1% and in the area by 0.3%.

The economic importance of groundnut:
- Groundnut oil is a crucial edible oil as it is used for the manufacture of vanaspati. This oil is used for cooking.
- Groundnut kernel is a source of vegetable protein.
- Grinding roasted and blanched kernels result in the preparation of Peanut butter which is a nutritious and healthy source of food.
- The oil from the groundnut is also used as a lubricant, oil cake is used as animal feed and organic manure.
- Groundnut shells are used in the production of activated carbon.

Note: Groundnut is rated as a rich source of energy contributed by oil (48–50%) and protein (25–28%) in the kernels. They give 564 kcal of energy from 100 g of kernels (Jambunathan, 1991). In addition, it contains many health-enhancing nutrients such as minerals, antioxidants, and vitamins that are rich in mono-unsaturated fatty acids. They also contain antioxidants like p-coumaric acid and resveratrol, Vitamin E, and many important B-complex groups of thiamin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B-6, folates, and niacin.