Sell maize immediately on harvest: TNAU's advice to farmers

COIMBATORE: Tamil Nadu Agricultural University ( TNAU) has advised maize farmers to sell their produce immediately on harvest saying the price for good quality crop could hover around Rs 1,250-1,300 per quintal in February-March with little chance for increase after that.

The Agro Marketing Intelligence and Business Promotion Centre in TNAU stated this after analysis of farm gate prices of maize in the last 12 years in Udumalpet regulated market to provide market intelligence for major maize growing districts.

The prevailing price is Rs 1,170-1,230 per quintal. TNAU said maize grains with moisture content of less than 12 per cent, damage free, mature and impurity free are considered to be of good quality.

Arrivals from Udumalpet, Virudhunagar, Arrupukottai and Dindigul will commence from mid-January onwards and current arrivals from Karnataka are expected to end with February.

The cultivation area reduced by 26 per cent in 2013-14 due to diversification of cropping pattern, particularly to cotton, by farmers following good monsoon, the analysis said.