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Informist, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026

 

By Shreya Shetty

 

MUMBAI – Prices of wheat showed a mixed trend across key spot markets of the country on Friday, while prices of maize and rice remained steady, traders said. Prices of wheat fell in some markets due to rise in arrivals of the new rabi crop, they said. Prices of maize were unchanged due to low market activity, while rice prices were steady due to the absence of fresh cues, they said.

 

In Indore, Madhya Pradesh, prices of WHEAT fell by INR 40 per 100 kilograms to INR 2,620 per 100 kg, said local trader Gaurav Kochar. Prices fell as arrivals of the new rabi wheat crop increased, he said. Prices are likely to remain under pressure as arrivals are expected to rise further, he said.

Food Corp. of India sold barely half the wheat it offered in the seventh round of auction under the 2025-26 open market sales scheme, as demand remained weak amid ample market supplies and the beginning of new crop arrivals. On Wednesday, FCI had offered 139,500 tonnes of wheat and sold 50% or about 70,000 tonnes, according to sources. This was a sharp fall from the 66% offtake in the previous auction on Feb. 4. The corporation had increased its offer quantity in many states this week, but demand remained subdued, sources said.

 

The response to the government's sale of the grain is sluggish as there is ample supply of wheat in spot markets and carry-over stock from last year, Kochar said. Despite the slow response, the government is pressing on with the open market sales scheme as they need to offload their stock, he said. "It is too expensive for them (the government) to keep it (wheat) in storage for too long, and they also have to make space in the warehouses for the new wheat crop they will procure," he said.

 

The price of wheat at Vashi in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, was steady at INR 2,750 per 100 kg, said Devendra Vora, a wholesale trader. 

 

Prices of MAIZE in Indore were steady at INR 1,715 per 100 kg, Kochar said. Prices are unchanged due to low market activity, as buyers are more interested in the new crop arrivals, he said. Prices are expected to be on a downtrend once arrivals of the new rabi crop begin. A decline in demand for maize for ethanol is also likely to weigh on prices, he said. Maize, which was once highly favoured by ethanol producers, is no longer the top choice for producing the biofuel due to the government's backing of rice as an alternative, he said.

 

Prices of maize at Davangere in Karnataka were steady at INR 1,700–INR 1,900 per 100 kg, said Shiva Kumar, a local trader. Arrivals in the market rose by 1,000 bags to 5,000 bags (1 bag = 60 kg), he said.

 

Prices of the main varieties of RICE remained unchanged in Vashi. The 1401 and 1121 varieties of basmati rice were steady at INR 8,000-INR 8,200 per 100 kg and INR 8,400-INR 8,800 per 100 kg, respectively, due to lack of fresh cues, Vora said. Prices are expected to remain range-bound in the near term due to low market activity, he said.

 

Prices of sona masoori rice, a premium non-basmati variety, were also steady at INR 5,600-INR 5,800 per 100 kg at Bhavanipuram in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, said Ravi Shankar, a local trader. Prices are likely to remain unchanged in the near term due to seasonally low demand, he said.  End

 

Edited by Ashish Shirke

 

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