Kharif green gram (moong bean) has begun arriving in key markets of Karnataka such as Gadag and Bagalkot even as a bearish trend prevails in prices. Average prices, depending on the quality and the moisture content, are ruling between ₹5,300-7,500 a quintal, trade sources said.

At the Gadag APMC, where the daily arrivals are higher than last year’s levels, modal prices ruled at ₹5,712 a quintal on Thursday, lower than the minimum support price (MSP) of ₹7,755 for the season. “Moong market is moving sideways as arrivals have begun in some pockets of Karnataka. The commencement of public procurement at MSP may lend support to prices,” said Indrajit Paul, Senior Manager, Commodity Research at Origo E-Mandi.

Crop situation

The overall crop condition for kharif moong looks good as the area under the crop is at par with last year’s levels, Paul said. Moong acreages stood at 31.78 lakh hectares (lh) as of August 12, similar to 31.89 lh a year ago. “The expectation is that the area would be slightly higher by around 1 per cent compared with last year. Production is likely to be marginally higher than 1.5 million tonnes last year at 1.6 or 1.7 million tonnes,” he said.

“The crop looks good in Karnataka, despite reports of some damages due to excess rains. The respite from rains and the sky clearing up over the last couple of days should help the harvest and drying of the pulses,” said Sujay Hubli, Managing Director at Sujay Agri Venture, a miller in Gadag.

Currently, the moisture content in the produce that is arriving in the market is around 17-20 per cent. Trade is waiting for the moisture levels to come down to 12 per cent, which is ideal for storage of the produce. Sujay Hubli said the sowing has been good in Karnataka due to good pre-monsoon showers.

Rajasthan

In Rajasthan, the largest producing state of kharif moong, the acreage has touched 20.53 lh today, equal to levels seen last year. “Timely and the good spread of rains have increased the pace of sowing in Rajasthan, where the crop condition is normal. Some areas have reported damage due to excess rains, but others are favourable. Going forward if the weather is favourable, we can see an improvement in productivity,” said Rahul Chauhan of IGrain India. The arrivals have started in parts of Karnataka and Maharashtra, he said.

In Gujarat, about 10-15 per cent of the cropped area could have been damaged due to excess rains, said Punit Bachawat, a miller in Ahmedabad. “The overall crop looks goods, but rains in September, which coincide with the harvest season in Rajasthan hold the key to a good crop,” he said. Excess rains during September have impacted the moong crop in the previous years.

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