Prices of popular spice commodity cumin (jeera) have gone up sharply by at least `300 per 20 kg in a span of one week in the wake of growing domestic and global demand.
The price of the commodity rose from 4,800-5,100 to 5,100 to5,500 in the past week alone. This bull run is likely to continue as per market sources due to lower sowing and slightly unfavourable weather condition in cumin-growing areas in Gujarat and Rajasthan.
“There is a high demand for quality cumin in the international market. Even domestic traders are inquiring about huge quantities. But farmers are having limited carry forward stock this season. Of the nearly 1.5 million bags (55 kg per bag) carry forward stock, already more than 50 % has exhausted. Fresh arrival of cumin will initiate only from February,” says Arvind Patel, vice president of Unjha Agriculture Market Produce Committee.
Compared to the 2021-22 season’s cumin crop of 5 million bags, cumin crop is likely to remain lower in the current 2022-23 year, says Patel. According to him, even last year it was almost 40 % lower compared to the 2020-21 season’s crop of 8 million bags.
As per traders’ estimate, carry forward stock would be hardly 0.2 million bags by the time fresh arrival hit the market, he claimed.
Patel says that exports of cumin are likely to remain higher and cross previous year’s level of around 3.5 million bags as cumin season in Turkey and Syria is already completed and global importers will have to look at India only.
Cumin is exported to nearly 43 countries across the globe from Unjha. Maximum exports are being done in the Gulf countries followed by the US, Europe, China and Latin American countries. India enjoys a lion’s share of 75% in the international market. As cumin crops are highly sensitive to weather and disease, farmers in Rajasthan and Gujarat switched to other crops in demand, including cotton, mustard seed, groundnut, soyabean and coriander seed, he added.
Cumin is cultivated in Rajasthan and Gujarat. Sowing of cumin happens during October to December and harvest starts from February till April end. Jodhpur and Nagaur districts in Rajasthan are the major pockets of cumin farming. In Gujarat, cumin is sown in the Banaskantha, Kutch and Saurashtra regions. Farmers and traders from both the states ultimately come to Unjha mandi to sell their cumin produce.