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Informist, Tuesday, Jun. 23, 2026

 

By Shreya Shetty

 

MUMBAI – Prices of wheat and maize showed mixed trends, while prices of rice were unchanged in key spot markets across the country, traders said. Wheat prices rose in some markets due to worries about the El Nino's impact on rabi crops, and the cancellation of the government's tenders for offloading wheat, they said. Maize prices in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, rose due to delay in kharif maize sowing amid a delayed monsoon, they said. Rice prices are likely to rise in the near term due to hopes of a revival in demand from West Asia, they said.

 

WHEAT prices in Indore rose by INR 20 per 100 kilograms to INR 2,660 per 100 kg Tuesday, said Gaurav Kochar, a local trader. Prices rose amid worries about the formation of El Nino, and reports suggesting that it could impact winter and northeast monsoon in India, subsequently affecting the wheat crop, which is grown during the rabi season, he said. 

 

In a webinar on El Nino and its impact on agriculture organised by All India Sugar Trade Association conducted on Monday, experts said they expect El Nino conditions to linger and impact northern India, including parts of central India, more than southern states, ultimately impacting rabi crops. "If it starts now, the southwest monsoon season, the northeast monsoon, and the winter season. So, three seasons will get impacted, which will cover the rabi also," G.P. Sharma, president of meteorology and climate change at Skymet, said.  "So, rise in the temperature, reduction in the rainfall, reduction in the snowfall activity, all that combined, may not sound good for the rabi crop overall, as such, for the northern parts of the country," he said. 

 

Prices of wheat in Kota, Rajasthan, rose by INR 100 per 100 kg to INR 2,425-INR 2,475 per 100 kg Tuesday, said Ravi Mehta, a local trader. Arrivals were steady at 15,000 bags (1 bag = 50 kg), he said. Prices rose as arrivals have remained on the lower end while need-based demand from millers and traders has risen, he said. Prices also rose due to improved market sentiment as the government has cancelled various tenders for offloading wheat in the state, he said. Release of the government's wheat stocks would have otherwise weighed on sentiment, he said.

 

The price of wheat in Vashi, Navi Mumbai, was steady at INR 2,700 per 100 kg, said Devendra Vora, a wholesale trader. Prices were unchanged amid stable demand, he said.

 

MAIZE prices in Indore rose by INR 125 per 100 kg to INR 2,300 per 100 kg, Kochar said. Prices were supported by rising concerns about kharif maize sowing, he said. As of Friday, the acreage of maize in the ongoing kharif season across the country was up nearly 7% on year at 569,000 hectares, data from the agriculture ministry showed. However, the year-on-year rise presents a false picture of higher sowing, as acreage last year was below-normal to begin with, he said. "Last year, due to excess rainfall (during southwest monsoon), 50% of land that would have otherwise been sown under maize was not sown... That is why it is showing higher figure (this year)," he said. The sowing of maize has been delayed across the country due to a delay in monsoon, which is supporting prices, he said.

 

Prices of maize in Davanagere, Karnataka, were steady at INR 1,800-INR 2,050 per 100 kg, said Shiva Kumar, a local trader. Arrivals were steady at 800 bags (1 bag = 50 kg), he said.

 

Prices of RICE varieties were steady in Vashi, Vora said. Prices of the 1409 and 1509 varieties of basmati rice were steady at INR 9,600-INR 9,700 per 100 kg and INR 8,200-INR 8,300 per 100 kg, respectively, he said. Prices of the 1121 variety of basmati rice were also steady at INR 10,000–INR 10,200 per 100 kg, he said. Prices are expected to rise in the near term as demand from countries in West Asia is likely to rise with the Strait of Hormuz reopening post the interim peace deal between the US and Iran, he said. Countries in the region are the top destinations for Indian basmati rice exports.  End

 

Edited by Avishek Dutta

 

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