More Stories

Informist, Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025

 

By Shreya Shetty

 

MUMBAI – Prices of wheat and rice were steady, while those of maize rose in key spot markets across the country, traders said. Prices of maize in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, rose due to higher demand from the ethanol sector, they said. Prices of wheat remained unchanged amid stable demand, while rice prices were flat owing to low market activity, they said.

 

WHEAT prices in Kota, Rajasthan, were steady at INR 2,450-INR 2,500 per 100 kg, said Ravi Mehta, a local trader. Arrivals rose by 1,000 bags to 4,000 bags (1 bag = 50 kg), he said. Prices were unchanged due to low market activity, he said. "There is no demand anywhere, especially in south India," he said. South Indian states account for around 50–60% of wheat demand, and are typically the trend-setters in the market, he said. 

 

Prices of wheat are unlikely to see any major change due to steady demand amid ample supply, Mehta said. "I don't see prices rising any time soon," he said, adding, "Prices could only rise if the government opens up wheat exports, or brings in stock limits again."

 

Traders said timely policy intervention would be critical to prevent storage bottlenecks and price pressures once arrivals accelerate from Mar–Apr. "There is a clear rise of at least 5 million tonnes this year. The government should immediately look at opening exports of wheat products," said agriculture economist Deepak Pareek.

 

Prices of wheat in the wholesale market of Vashi remained steady at INR 2,800-INR 2,825 per 100 kg, said Devendra Vora, a wholesale trader. Prices in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, were also unchanged at INR 2,725 per 100 kg, said Gaurav Kochar, a local trader. Prices are steady amid stable demand for the grain, Kochar said.

 

MAIZE prices in Indore rose by INR 50 per 100 kg from Monday to INR 1,875 per 100 kg due to a rise in demand for the coarse grain from the ethanol sector, Kochar said. Prices are likely to rise by another INR 100 per 100 kg in the near term, he said. 

 

Prices of major RICE varieties remained steady in key spot markets, traders said. In Vashi, prices of the 1401 and 1121 basmati varieties were unchanged at INR 7,100-INR 7,300 per 100 kg and INR 8,400-INR 8,800 per 100 kg, respectively, Vora said. Prices of rice are largely flat due to low overall demand, he said. "Demand in basmati rice is there, but there is nothing in non-basmati variety," he said. 

 

The price of sona masoori rice, a premium non-basmati variety, was steady at INR 5,600-INR 5,800 per 100 kg at Bhavanipuram in Andhra Pradesh's Vijayawada, said trader Ravi Shankar. Prices are unchanged due to low trade in the market owing to no demand, he added. 

 

Meanwhile, the Food Corp. of India's rice procurement so far in 2025-26 (Oct-Sep) has risen over 9% on year to 28.35 million tonnes, supported by strong purchases in Telangana and Haryana, according to FCI data accessed by Informist. The rice purchases so far account for 61% of the season's procurement target of 46.35 million tonnes. The government procures paddy from farmers at the minimum support prices, gets it custom-milled from designated mills, and stores the rice in the central pool.  End

 

Edited by Avishek Dutta

 

For users of real-time market data terminals, Informist news is available exclusively on the NSE Cogencis WorkStation.

 

Cogencis news is now Informist news. This follows the acquisition of Cogencis Information Services Ltd. by NSE Data & Analytics Ltd., a 100% subsidiary of the National Stock Exchange of India Ltd. As a part of the transaction, the news department of Cogencis has been sold to Informist Media Pvt. Ltd.

 

Informist Media Tel +91 (22) 6985-4000

Send comments to feedback@informistmedia.com

 

© Informist Media Pvt. Ltd. 2025. All rights reserved.