To help farmers take decisions on crop planting for the October-November season, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University has come out with recommendations on three major crops.
The season, coinciding with North East Monsoon, is an important cropping season for rainfed cultivation in Tamil Nadu, taking into account about 48 per cent of the annual rainfall (998 mm).
Considering this, Agro Marketing Intelligence and Business Promotion Centre of TNAU analysed the price behaviour of Bengal Gram, Coriander and Pearl Millet (Cumbu) for the benefit of the farmers.
Pearl Millet is a major food, feed and fodder crop to feed the world population and India is the largest producer of the most drought resistant crops among cereals and millets.
During 2013-14, Pearl Millet was cultivated in 7.95 million hectares with a production of 8.79 million tonnes with a productivity of 1,106 kg per hectare in India.In Tamil Nadu, it is cultivated mostly in two seasons -- May-June and October-November.
Cumbu was grown in an area of about 0.46 lakh hectares with a production of 1.14 lakh tonnes and productivity of 2,453 kg per hectare in 2011-12.
The analysis of prices in the last 12 years in Villupuram market revealed the crop could fetch around Rs 1,400 to Rs 1,500 per quintal on harvest in Feb-March next, and based on this, farmers were advised to take their sowing decision.
On Coriander, the Centre said the commercial parts of the plant are its leaf and seed. In Tamil Nadu, the area under coriander was 10,804 hectares with a production of 5,049 tonnes (2011-12).
The sowing period is October-December and harvesting extends from January to April, with arrivals starting from January and continuing till April.
During Feb-March 2014, the price at Virudhunagar market was Rs 8,750 per quintal and the current price is Rs 11,500 per quintal and it was expected to be around Rs 11,600 per quintal in February-March next, it said.
As far as Bengal Gram, the Centre predicted prices to be around Rs 4,350 to Rs 4,500 per quintal during Feb-March next and said farmers could accordingly take their sowing decision.
In Tamil Nadu, it is sown only in this season and is cultivated in about 9,800 hectares with a production of nearly 5,800 tonnes, mainly in Tiruppur and Coimbatore district, in 2013-14, with major market being Udumalpet near Tirupur.
