Peanut Prices Go Up in Rayalaseema

Anantapur: Curiously, peanut prices went up abnormally in the wholesale and retail markets even in the Rayalaseema region, in particular Anantapur, the largest producer in the country.

Massive crop damage and poor sowings during the recent kharif season are cited as the reasons.

Normally, peanut prices are below ₹90-130 of top grade quality throughout the year while the per-kg price for medium quality reached ₹200 in the retail market. “We sold top grade peanuts at ₹130 per kg ten days ago. Suddenly, prices shot up to ₹200 that was also low grade quality,” retail trader Nagaraju told Deccan Chronicle.

Nagaraju said he even tried to get quality groundnut seed from rural areas. Godowns had no stocks and it would only purchase recently arrived fresh ground nuts with medium range quality.

Peanut has been important in the diet of Rayalaseema region and other parts including Telangana. The abnormal rise in prices is seen even early, closer to the kharif season. There is huge demand for Anantapur groundnut in the Gujarat and Maharashtra markets because of the rich quality of oil content and the poor crop severely impacting the prices.

Groundnut is cultivated in some 18.8 lakh hectares in AP, of which about 8 lakh hectares from Anantapur area alone, as the top grower of groundnut, and other states, depending on the peanut of Anantapur.

Combined Anantapur district has the distinction of having the largest area under groundnut cultivation, with 72 per cent of extent and other districts of Rayalaseema covering the rest.

Anandaranga Reddy, a farmers union leader from Satya Sai district, observed that farmers fearful of incurring loss couldn’t do sowing of groundnut during the recent kharif season.

Official sources say only 20 per cent of the available area had groundnut crop in the combined Anantapur districts this time, due to rain deficit in the early season and also increase in required investment.

Groundnut oil prices are likely to rise in the market. At present, a litre of pure groundnut oil is sold between `300-400. Meanwhile, red gram, intercrop of groundnut, yielded good results this year, leading to a reduction in its prices in the market.