Jowar prices hit an all-time high in Karnataka amidst drought conditions

Data from the Agriculture Department reveal that the sowing achieved in the kharif season was 0.42 lakh hectares against a target of 0.80 lakh hectares, or 53% of the target.

On the heels of a rise in rice and toor dal prices, jowar prices too have surged in Karnataka amid drought conditions. Farmers, traders and agriculture experts say the current price of jowar, a staple in many north Karnataka districts, has hit its highest level in recent times.

According to APMC merchants in Vijayapura and Kalaburagi districts, the price of the famous Maldandi variety of jowar has increased from ₹5,500 per quintal in September to ₹8,500 per quintal at present. The Gundu Thene variety is priced at ₹8,200 per quintal, up from ₹5,000. Last week, the price had gone up to ₹9,200 per quintal for the Maldandi variety and ₹9,000 per quintal for the Gundu Thene variety.

While drought is the major reason behind the increase, department officials and experts from the university pointed out that the mechanisation of almost all other crops in the agriculture sector except jowar, and the fixed Minimum Support Price (MSP) from the Centre, are other reasons why jowar prices have increased compared with previous years.

Data from the Agriculture Department reveal that the sowing achieved in the kharif season was 0.42 lakh hectares against a target of 0.80 lakh hectares, or 53% of the target. Last year, in the same season, sowing was completed on 0.39 lakh hectares against a target of 0.54 lakh hectares.

Speaking to The Hindu, Santosh Budge, Assistant Director, APMC, Kalaburagi, said, “I have seen prices go up and down for more than a decade. But it is the first time that the price has increased to ₹9,000-9,200 per quintal. This week, it has reduced to ₹8,500 per quintal and I believe the price will keep hovering between ₹8,500 and ₹9,500. It might even shoot up to ₹10,000.”

Highlighting previous prices, Mr. Budge said, “In 2022-23, when there was a similar drought situation, the price had increased to ₹8,000 per quintal. Last year, in October, the price was around ₹6,500 per quintal and later decreased to ₹5,000.”

Vijay Hiremath, a jowar trader, said, “Currently, stocks in the market are also low for various reasons. Some farmers sell directly at the APMC, while others sell in the open market to traders of their choice for ₹10-15 more than the APMC price. Whether the prices will rise further or stabilise will be known only in mid-November, when the sowing of jowar for the rabi season will be completed across north Karnataka.”

Prof. Suresh K.B., an expert in post-harvest and engineering technology at the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru (UAS-B), said, “Jowar is a kharif and rabi crop, but the Maldandi and Gundu Thene varieties are mostly cultivated in the rabi season. The sowing has begun now and will end by the second week of November. As a millet, jowar does not require much water. It is grown in rain-fed regions of Karnataka, including Vijayapura, Ballari, Raichur, Kalaburagi, Belagavi and Dharwad. Instead of depending on rain, many farmers adopt the residual moisture method. This means they sow jowar soon after paddy is harvested. The residual moisture present in the soil helps the cultivation of jowar. In the first 30 days, it does not require water.”

However, he pointed out that paddy cultivation had also reduced during the kharif season because of deficient rainfall and low water levels in major reservoirs. “We have to wait and watch the yield of jowar in the rabi season after the harvest,” he said. He predicted that prices might remain high until new rabi stocks arrive.

Shivanagouda Patil, Joint Director, Agriculture Department, Vijayapura district, said, “Vijayapura has the largest area under jowar cultivation, with 0.12 metric tonnes in kharif and 0.72 metric tonnes in rabi. But over a period of time, farmers have lost interest in cultivation due to the lack of mechanisation.” For instance, in contrast, toor cultivation is completely mechanised and offers better returns. While the Minimum Support Price for jowar is ₹4,073 per quintal, it is ₹8,450 per quintal for toor.