The Hindu Business Line : Rains hold key to guar crop’s prospects

Chennai, July 15 Rainfall in the next 10 days in the guar-growing tracts of Rajasthan hold the key to a good crop or else the country could face 20-30 per cent shortfall.

“Till now, 50 per cent of the normal area under guar has been covered. Sowing in guar begins in July and continues till first week of August. Due to delayed rainfall, large portions of area have not been covered. If the rains do not come in the next 10 days or so, there are chances of growers shifting to pulses, especially in Rajasthan,” said Mr Jeewan Gandhi, President, Indian Guar Gum Growers Association.

Guar or cluster beans is a legume crop that grows best in the semi-arid regions in the country. In India, guar is grown primarily in Rajasthan. It is also grown in Haryana, Punjab, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. While guar is seen as a vegetable in the South, in the North it is primarily seen as a raw material to produce guar gum.

“We had above normal rainfall during April-June. Growers increased the coverage of bajra and they were harvested in June-end. In view of the rainfall during summer, some non-traditional areas too have come under guar this year,” he said, adding, “Guar is attracting growers in rain-fed areas.”

Stating that coverage in Haryana was good, he said the situation in Gujarat was not so good. “Cotton is the main attraction in the North, while in Gujarat, farmers seem to prefer oilseeds,” he said, adding: “It will mean that we stand to lose 5-7 lakh bags (of 100 kg) guarseed.”

“Any proper assessment of the crop can be made only after monsoon rainfall gets over. But if we get good rains, then we can expect production in the range of 90 lakh to one crore bags,” Mr Gandhi said.

Good Demand

Guar is mainly required for export of guar gum. “There is good demand for export and we expect to export 2.25 lakh tonnes of guar gum,” Mr Gandhi said.

“Domestic consumption is also picking up and we expect it to be 50,000 tonnes. Therefore, to meet this demand, we would require at least a production of 90 lakh bags,” he said.

Guar gum is used as a thickening agent and additives in foods products such as instant soups, sauces, processed meat products, baked goods, milk and cheese products, yoghurt and ice-creams. It is also used in industrial applications such as paper and textile sectors, ore flotation, explosives manufacture and fracturing of oil and gas formations. India is the major producer of guar seed and gum, making up 80-85 of the total global supply.

India exports guar gum to Europe, the US, Australia and China. Interestingly, China buys raw guar gum from India and re-exports it as processed gum. Currently, there is a demand to export 50,000 tonnes of guar gum to the US and China.

Prices rise

Meanwhile, guarseed prices increased nearly two per cent on the futures exchange on Tuesday. Guarseed for September delivery was quoted at Rs 1,991 a quintal, while spot prices ruled at Rs 1,876 in Jodhpur.

“Mill-delivered prices for guarseed ar Rs 2,000 a quintal, while guar split is quoted at Rs 48 a kg,” Mr Gandhi said. Prices had increased by Rs 175 a quintal since April for guar seed, he said.

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