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Groundnut a shell like pod from a leguminous bushy or
creeping small annual, Arachis hypogea, with the peculiar
habit of ripening its fruit underground. It is the second largest source
of vegetable oil after soybean. It is a native of South America but is
now grown extensively in the Indian subcontinent, central Africa, China,
Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Madagascar and some other tropical and subtropical
countries.
Each pod has 1-4 seeds. Removing the shell, the seeds are collected.
The seeds are rich in non-drying oil (35-50%), proteins (25-30%)
and vitamin B and E. The oil is used for cooking, and as margarine
and vegetable ghee, and in confectioneries and pharmaceutical
industries. Inferior quality oil is used for soap and as lubricant.
Groundnuts are also eaten after roasting.
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Groundnut |
In Bangladesh it is cultivated in about 35,000 ha. About
40,000 m tons of groundnuts are produced annually in the districts of
the Gangetic delta. Noakhali, Faridpur, Kishoreganj, Patuakhali, and Rangpur
districts, however, produce most groundnuts either as a rabi or
a kharif crop. [Mostafa Kamal Pasha]
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