Copra, a cornerstone of Kerala's plantation economy, has emerged as a top performer. While the government-fixed MSP for the 2026-27 season stands at ₹12,100 per quintal, the commodity is currently fetching a staggering market price of approximately ₹20,054 per quintal. This massive gap indicates a high industrial demand and a possible supply-side tightening that is working in favor of local growers. Market arrivals for copra remain strong, with over 21,000 metric tonnes recorded, underscoring its pivotal role in the state's current trade volume.
A similar trend of high valuation is evident in the pulses category. Arhar (Tur), which has an MSP of ₹8,000 per quintal, is currently trading at an average of ₹12,366 per quintal. Other essential pulses, including Black Gram (Urad) and Green Gram (Moong), are also seeing market prices well above their support thresholds, at ₹11,880 and ₹11,233 per quintal respectively. These figures suggest that open-market dynamics are providing farmers with significantly better returns than the safety nets provided by administrative benchmarks, reflecting a healthy demand-supply ratio for protein staples in the region.
In the vegetable segment, market arrivals show a more balanced profile. Onions are trading at an average of ₹3,425 per quintal, while potatoes and tomatoes are priced at ₹3,459 and ₹3,696 respectively. Unlike pulses and oilseeds, these perishables rely heavily on daily arrival volumes to dictate price volatility. With current arrivals for onions exceeding 418 metric tonnes, the market remains liquid, ensuring that while farmers receive fair compensation, consumer prices remain shielded from drastic inflationary spikes.
This divergence between MSP and actual market rates highlights the shifting economic realities for Kerala’s farmers. While the MSP remains a critical formal safeguard against price crashes, the current market strength suggests that administrative pricing is increasingly lagging behind real-world trade value. As the season progresses, officials and market analysts will be closely monitoring whether these high price points can be sustained without impacting retail inflation, or if increased arrivals will eventually bring the market closer to official benchmarks.
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