Climate change has had a relentless impact on people all around the world. Unexpected rainfall, extreme summers, and the melting of glaciers have led to a negative effect on the lives of people. This has widely affected the agricultural sector of India as well. Many crops have been destroyed due to unseasonal rainfall, which leads to crop loss and impact on post-harvest crops. One such crop that was severely affected by the unseasonal rains was the cumin (jeera) crop. This year saw many incidents of unseasonal rainfall, as a result of which cumin crops were destroyed, which further resulted in a rise in its price in the market. The prices went as high as Rs 65,000 per quintal. Now, it has been reported that the prices are going down again in the markets of Rajasthan.
According to reports, the Nagaur and Merta agricultural markets in Rajasthan have seen a drop in the prices of cumin due to low demand in the retail market. Cumin is one of those spices whose prices are dependent on its demand in the market. As the demand increases, the prices will also go up; and if the demand decreases, the prices will go down as well.
Reportedly, there’s a difference in the prices of cumin in the Nagaur and Merta markets. In Merta, the prices of cumin seeds are around Rs 2,500 more expensive than in the Nagaur market. Currently, the price of cumin in Merta ranges from Rs 43,900 to Rs 57,000 per quintal, while the prices in Nagaur range from Rs 45,000 to Rs 54,500 per quintal.
Earlier, the price of cumin remained stable at Rs 60,000 per quintal. This was mainly due to heavy rainfall in Rajasthan, which had affected the crops of cumin. As the inventory of cumin decreased, this led to a rise in prices in the market. Currently, there has been a drop in prices, and they are expected to be between Rs 40,000 to Rs 60,000 per quintal until the new crop is grown.