The Agro Market Intelligence and Business Promotion Centre (AMI&BPC), Tiruchi, has advised farmers to store cumbu and ragi and sell them in March-April when the price is expected to rise.
Econometric analysis of the AMI&BPC indicated that the price of cumbu would rule in the range of Rs.1, 500 to 1,700 a quintal and of fully cleaned ragi would rule around Rs.1,800-2,000 a quintal during March-April.
The advisory was issued based on the analysis of price of cumbu over the last 12 years at the Villupuram regulated market and the price of ragi for the last 10 years at Tindivanam regulated market.
The analysis was conducted by the AMI&BPC back office at the Centre for Agricultural and Rural Development Studies (CARDS) in the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University.
The current price of cumbu is Rs.1, 350 a quintal and ragi is Rs.1,750 a quintal.
In Tamil Nadu, cumbu is cultivated mostly in two seasons: May-June and October-November.
It is sown mainly during October-November based on the rainfall received during the northeast monsoon. In 2012-13, cumbu was grown in an area of about 0.43 lakh hectares with a production of 0.57 lakh tonnes.
The average productivity was 1.31 tonnes per hectare. Villupuram district has the highest production of 11 lakh tonnes followed by Thoothukudi, Cuddalore, Vellore, Tiruvannamalai, Madurai, and Theni districts.
The area under cumbu declined by seven per cent during 2012-13 compared to 2011-12, the advisory said.
During 2012-13, ragi was grown in an area of about 0.70 lakh hectares in Tamil Nadu with a production of 1.38 lakh tonnes. Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, Vellore, Salem and Erode districts accounted for 96 per cent of the total area and 95 per cent of the State’s production.
The ragi crop is sown during September and October, the release said.
Advisory based on econometric analysis of the AMI&BPC
