Shrivelled paddy, wilted gram signal a lousy harvest ahead
NEW DELHI : At a time when the government is trying to tame food inflation, a spike in prices of key winter (Rabi) crops such as gram, paddy and maize is expected to play spoilsport. Agriculture analysts expect these crops to be hit by depleting water reservoir levels, above-normal temperatures and diseases, especially in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Tamil Nadu. However, prices of other rabi crops such as wheat and mustard are not expected to rise.
Farmers in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu have reportedly been witnessing wilting in Bengal gram (chana) and shrivelling of paddy and cobs in maize. Paddy farmers are reportedly facing drying of the crop in a few districts of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana surrounded by the Krishna belt. Similarly, poor cob formation with low grain weight has been observed in maize.
“Gram prices are expected to witness a rise on-year owing to an upswing in pulse prices for the year amidst lower production of Kharif pulses," said Pushan Sharma, director-research, CRISIL Market Intelligence and Analytics. “However, in the near term, prices are expected to fall when the arrivals peak in the market, which reportedly has been delayed due to the resowing of the crop in Maharashtra following November rainfall." Sharma added that in the northern states, gram yields are likely to remain at normal levels. Chana prices in key mandis of Indore in Madhya Pradesh are quoted in the range of ₹5,900-7,500 a quintal, depending on the variety, against the minimum support price (MSP) of ₹5,440.
Read more on livemint.com
