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The present study has examined the growth performance and economics of rapeseed and mustard (R&M) cultivation in Rajasthan using both secondary and primary data. R&M is one of the important oilseed crops of rabi season and accounts for about 25 percent of total oilseed production in India during 2016-17. Descriptive statistics like mean and coefficient of variation; and compound growth rate have been used to analyse the data. Rajasthan state alone share between 46-50 per cent of total R&M production of the country. Findings have revealed that output growth of both total oilseeds and R&M declined in period II (2006-07 to 2016-17) as compared to period I (1996-97 to 2006-07) and overall period (1996-97 to 2016-17), while variability in area, production and yield has come down in period II over the period I and overall period. Cultivation of R&M provides net return of about Rs 40,000/- per hectare and operational expenses to cultivation was found to be Rs 37,254/-. The operational activities like irrigation charges (16.8%), harvesting (12%), field preparation (11.2%), chemical fertilizers (6.5%) and threshing (5%) were the main items of cost and these five operations together accounted for about 52 percent of total cost of cultivation.

Key words: Cost and returns, Growth performance, Rapeseed-mustard