Sunflower Farmers Asked To Sell Crop In TN

Coimbatore: Sunflower farmers who raised summer crop (April-May) and are ready with their harvest in Tamil Nadu are suggested to sell their produce forthwith by the Domestic and Export Market Intelligence Cell (DEMIC) of the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) here. The DEMIC, in its crop prospects and market-led price forecasting based on sunflower price data behaviour as it prevailed in the State's primary market for the crop at Vellakoil, has noted that the average price for sunflower would revolve around Rs 22/Rs 23 per kg during this period (August-September 2007) without any upheavals. Sunflower is being raised in Tiruchi, Erode, Karur, Dindigul, Villupuram and Cuddalore regions of Tamil Nadu and the average crop area is pegged at 17,000 hectares with the per hectare yield at about 1,240 kg as against the national average of 615 kg. The DEMIC report said that the market arrivals of summer crop start from July-end onwards and the arrivals will be low this time (July-September 2007) due to poor rainfall reported last year in the crop zones.