The Price Forecasting Scheme at the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University has advised farmers to take appropriate decision on sowing ragi as its prices are expected to remain firm around Rs. 19 to 20 per kilo.

The scheme analyzed the prices that prevailed in the Tindivanam regulated market in the last 12 years and arrived at the price realization.

In Tamil Nadu, ragi was cultivated in an area of 0.11 million hectare with 0.25 million tonnes of production during 2014-15. Ragi contributes for 4.67 per cent of total area under cereals in the State. Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, Vellore, Salem and Erode districts together accounted for 95 per cent of the total ragi area, it said.

Ragi is cultivated mainly in the kharif season (July-August) in all major ragi growing districts as rain fed crop. As ragi production from Tamil Nadu alone does not support the demand for the entire state, arrivals from Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh also started coming to the markets.

Ragi is the staple diet in many villages in south India, especially in North Karnataka besides Maharashtra and north-west Tamil Nadu. It is an important millet crop because of it excellent storage properties and nutritional values.

Ragi was cultivated in an area of 1.20 million hectares with a production of 1.99 million tonne during 2014-15 in India and the production was expected to be down to 1.86 million tonnes during 2015-16, due to severe summer, the analysis said.