Indian coarse grains have gained prominence as a super food in the world market

- Commodity Current : Jayavadan Gandhi

Indian commodities are in high demand in the global market. From April to November of the current financial year, the export of major commodities has increased by 24 percent. Exports of grain commodities such as wheat and rice have been increasing despite the ban. 46.56 lakh tonnes of wheat has been exported with a jump of 12 percent during the above period. The government is laying great emphasis on increasing the production of coarse grain crops like wheat, rice, jowar, millet, ragi. At present, due to good cold weather, wheat production in the country is likely to reach a record level this year, due to which India remains the second largest producer of wheat in the world.

Last year, due to some natural and other factors, the production of wheat remained slightly lower at around 10.68 crore tonnes. However, the government is moving in the direction that the ban on wheat exports may be lifted in the near future as production in the Rabi season is expected to be higher than expected. Prices have also crossed 3000 per quintal due to increasing demand of wheat. While wheat flour has also touched the surface of Rs 40 per kg. Due to which the prices of all the products made from it are going up. However, bumper production is expected in Rajasthan, Punjab, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh with an increase of 15 percent in wheat cultivation this year. The government has also increased the support price of wheat by Rs. 110 per quintal for the year 2023-24. 2125/- has been declared. There is no possibility of a fall in prices until the new crop of wheat hits the market.

The wheat market has remained bullish for the time being as traders in the market are now likely to have limited stocks of wheat.

Along with wheat, the government has laid special emphasis on millet and sorghum production. Declaring the year 2023 as Millet year, all the governments of the entire country have launched a campaign to increase grain production. With emphasis on the importance of large grains to cure diseases like obesity, heart diseases, diabetes, cancer etc., large grain is being recognized as a preferred super food worldwide. As many factors like vitamin-B, zinc, iron magnesium are available in coarse grains in addition to fiber, now the cultivation of coarse grains is becoming more profitable for the farmers. For an agricultural country like India, the cultivation of coarse grains is cheaper than other agricultural crops, and for farmers with low fallows, cheap capital can become a situation like Siddhapur's Jatra. Although, the consumption of grains like wheat, sorghum, millet, maize has been large in the country for years, but now the consumption of coarse grains is increasing in foreign countries. India's contribution to most of the coarse grains production is about 40 percent, which is likely to cross over 50 percent in the near future. Meanwhile, this year the production of oilseed Raida continues to be bumper. The demand of Raida in the market has also caught heat in increasing prices. The country currently has a requirement of tens of thousands of tonnes of Raida oil per day. Increasing production has become imperative to become self-sufficient in Telebia. This year, the government has announced the support price of Raida at Rs 5450. At present, Raidani market is running higher than support prices. Due to which the cultivation of Raida is becoming very beneficial for the farmers this year. By the end of the year in 2022-23, the record of Raida has been broken in about 92.67 lakh hectares, the hard work of the government has paid off. Apart from Raida, there will be significant production of agricultural commodities like groundnut oil, soybean.