Price of coriander may go up
According to a study conducted by the Domestic and Export Market Intelligence Cell of the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, the price of coriander, which is ruling around Rs. 3,950 a quintal, might go up to Rs. 4,000 to Rs. 4,200 during February-April next. At the same time, it has noted that the price during last year was as high as Rs 5,700 to Rs. 6,000.The study points out that the price of coriander was Rs. 5,500 per quintal in January this year and it stabilised around Rs. 4,300 per quintal in the last six months. “The price is half of the price that prevailed in 2008.”
It is because the crop was good in Rajasthan which produces 60 per cent of the total 2.87 lakh tonnes of coriander in the country. Export of coriander seed has increased from 14,175 metric tonnes (MT) valued at about Rs. 93 crores in April-August 2008 to 21,000 tonnes valued at Rs. 104 crores during the corresponding period this year.
But, this year, expecting a good crop in Rajasthan, the stocks were released leading to a decline in price by Rs. 300 to Rs. 400 a quintal.In Tamil Nadu, coriander is cultivated in 24,748 hectares and Thoothukudi District has the maximum area followed by Virudhunagar, Coimbatore and Cuddalore districts.Based on the analysis of the price data from Virudhunagar market, it has been concluded that the price of coriander seed during February-April 2010 (the harvest season) will be in the range of Rs. 4,000 to Rs. 4,200 a quintal.
Cumbu is grown in about 98,000 hectares in Tamil Nadu with a production of 1.24 lakh tonnes. Thoothukudi district has the highest area of 20,965 hectares followed by Villpuram. This year, the area under cumbu has shot upto 65 lakh hectares in Rajasthan.As against the last year’s price of Rs. 700 to Rs. 750, it ruling around Rs. 800 now. It could decline to Rs. 710 to Rs. 750 during February-April 2010.
