Chana prices stay above MSP as farmers hold on to produce

Some traders said uncertainty over the 2017 southwest monsoon is also keeping prices firm

After subdued for some, chana (gram) price has managed to stay above minimum support price of Rs 4,000 in wholesale spot markets.

Though, the rise is seen in past one month is not causing panic, unlike many pulses specially Tur, chana is not in that bad position so far as farmers returns are concerned. However, looking projection of Chana production in 2016-17 at over 9 million tonnes, the firming up is cheerful for farmers.

Traders give two reasons for this.

First is the actual crop size is likely to be lower than the Government estimate of 9.08 million tonnes according