Tips to get premium prices in mandi that will accelerate the profit of farmers. For beginners, there are pro-tips to start farming and learn trading.

Farmers nurture their crops like babies, providing proper environment, care and nutrition, to ensure that they grow quality crops and get a premium price for their hard work.

However, securing a premium price does not depend only on high-quality crops and diligent efforts; it also requires strategic planning, post-harvesting management, market intelligence and effective negotiations. The market is highly volatile, and prices often depend on several factors. Therefore, it is essential to understand how to obtain premium prices at the mandi.

Factors influencing the premium prices at Mandi

Prioritise quality above all

The main factor to keep your product standing out from others is its quality. Buyers are willing to pay more for superior quality products. To maintain the quality of the crops, opt for the best-growing practices. This includes:

To ensure ideal nutrient levels, invest in soil tests and necessary additions. Healthy soil cultivate strong crops.

Choose the best quality seeds that will provide the best yield under your ground conditions and have good market demand.

Pre and Post-harvet management

Use tools designed for specific crops and ensure harvesting occurs at the appropriate time to maximise yield. Minor delays in either harvesting or sowing can substantially affect your produce. Furthermore, it is crucial to clean products thoroughly and store them under optimal temperature and environmental conditions to prevent deterioration.

Market Intelligence and Information

Get daily, real-time mandi rates (minimum, maximum and modal prices) for your commodities across many by utilising services such as the Shuru App. This aids in selecting the ideal mandi for sale. Make your product look visually appealing, clean storage, and packing.

Understand supply and demand

If you have storage capacity and space, do not sell the product at a time of sundance; store it and sell it at a time when there is scarcity. For example, onions are in abundance from August to October and often scarce from November to January.

Strategic timing and location

Don’t focus only on the most expensive item. Recognise the reason for its price. Is this a short-term shortage? A fresh consumer entering the market? Is there a particular attribute being sought? Also, track prices of substitute goods. A farmer observces an abrupt increase in the marlet price of green chillies. They might also check the pricing of red peppers or even dry red chilli instead of hurrying through all of their produce at once.

Relationship and Negotiation building

While agents are important, you can also look for direct buyers who visit the mandi, such as bigger stores, lodging facilities, dinging establishments, and food processors. Present your superior produce to them immediately. They frequently pay more for reliable quality and supply. A (FPO) Farmer Produce Organisation also help in negotiating prices and getting premium mandi prices.

Value addition and branding

Farmers are frequently left vulnerable to market swings when they only sell raw produce at the mandi in today’s cutthroat agricultural environment. Value addition and branding are now strategic requirements rather than extras to achieve genuinely premium prices and create a steady revenue stream. For example, selling potatoes in hygienic, ventilated mesh bags with a variety of labels instead of loose ones.

Up-to-date with technology and Government initiatives

Utilise e-NAM and sell your product online at better prices. Sign up for an online auction for your produce. Use agricultural-focused apps like (Shuru) that not only provides price information but also gives you another platform to connect with the farmers and traders with their contact numbers. The government have policies and initiatives helping farmers and traders.

Pro-tip for new farmers for premium mandi prices

Build trust and a relationship: When you are a beginner, you must focus on building relationships which increase trust in you for the long term. Delivering on time, good quality, and reliable supply increases trust. Make clear agreements before trading and communicate immediately.

Organic farming: Organic farming, along with the cultivation of healthy and unique vegetables and commodities, is gaining significant popularity today. Choosing such distinct fruits and vegetables can help you achieve higher profits with less competition. Furthermore, branding your organically produced goods will truly make your products stand out.

Organic certification specifically enables high-end restaurants, speciality retail chains, organic grocery shops, and direct-to-consumer delivery models to actively seek out and pay premium prices for your certified organic produce.

Conclusion

Securing premium prices at the mandi is not a matter of chance; it takes timely and informed decisions. For those who are ready, the mandi can be a lucrative marketplace that translates their labour into a genuine premium mandi price despite its challenges. The blog explains the tips that will help you get premium prices at the mandi. There are extra pro tips for beginners who are coming into this business with new hope.

FAQs

1. What is ‘Mandi Bhav’?

Mandi Bhav is the prevailing price of various agricultural products in a specific mandi on a given day. These prices are maximum, minimum and modal rates.

2. Which is the best mandi rate app?

The best mandi rate app is the one which provides accurate information about mandi bhav, is user-friendly and provides information in your local language. Such an app is the Shuru app.

3. What is e-NAM, and how does it relate to mandis?

e-NAM (National Agriculture Market) is an online platform that connects India’s current APMC mandis. Establishing a single nationwide market for agricultural products will allow farmers to sell their products to a larger audience outside of their local mandi, possibly resulting in higher pricing and increased transparency through online bidding.

4. What is the Modal Price of a mandi?

The “Modal Price” is the price at which the greatest number of transactions for a particular commodity took place in a mandi on a particular day. It is regarded as the “most popular” or indicative pricing for that particular day.

5. How to get a premium price at the mandi?

To get the mandi premium price, focusing on a few things is important. Some of the most important are maintaining high quality, market knowledge, optimal timing, effective negotiation, and value addition.