Sell Sunflower on harvest, says TNAU

Coimbatore, Mar 8. With very limited chance of increase in prices, which would hover around Rs 36 to Rs 38 per kg in April-June, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University has advised sunflower farmers to sell produce on harvest, without resorting to storage. TNAU's Domestic Export and Marketing Intelligence Cell (DEMIC), which analysed prices at Vellakoil Regulated Market for the last 12 years, came to the conclusion that there was no possibility of prices increasing above Rs 38. Sowing for this season had been reduced due to less rainfall and less arrivals would lead to the price hovering around this figure, it said, adding farmers can also sell sunflower through regulated market in nearby areas to reap better prices. Sunflower seed production in India in the Kharif season 2012-13 was 1.50 lakh tonnes against 1.20 lakh tonnes in 2011-12, the major producers being Karnataka, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. Tamil Nadu produced 30,000 tonnes from 20,000 Hectares during 2011-12, with a productivity of 1,742 kg per hectare, DEMIC said.