Ragi or finger millet is one of the most important millet crop known for it's nutritive value, health benefits and excellent storage properties. In India, the major states that contributed to the production of 1.79 million tonnes of Ragi in 2015-16 are Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Odissa, Andhra Pradesh, Uttarakand, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and the hilly regions of Himachal Pradesh.
In Tamil Nadu alone close to 0.11 million hectares with 0.25 million tonnes of Rag production has been reported by the Directorate of Economic and Statistics.With Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, Salem,Vellore and Tiruvannamalai districts together accounting for 87 per cent of the total ragi production in Tamil Nadu.
The production of ragi is declined due to erratic monsoon behaviour during the current season. So, the demand has increased for ragi and hence the farmers can expect a better price in the upcoming months.
Based on the last ten years statistics, In this situation, the Price Forecasting Scheme of Centre for Agricultural and Rural Development Studies (CARDS), Tamil Nadu Agricultural University reveals that farm gate price of good quality ragi would be around Rs. 20-22 per kg during harvest.
Hence,farmers are advised to take appropriate sowing decision according to the market advisory. For any assiatnce regarding this, they may contact:
Domestic and Export Market Intelligence Cell,
Centre for Agricultural and Rural Development Studies,
Tamil Nadu Agricultural University,
Coimbatore – 641 003.
Phone: 0422-2431405
For Technical Details:
The Professor & Head,
Department of Millets,
Tamil Nadu Agricultural University,
Coimbatore – 641 003.
Phone: 0422-2450507