No sale was confirmed at the Regulated Marketing Committee in Erode as farmers were not willing to sell turmeric below Rs 6,000 a quintal. All the 1,698 bags were taken back by farmers on Thursday.
Though farmers were demanding Rs 9,000, many were selling below Rs 6,500. But , the tenders quoted Rs 4,523-5,672 for the finger variety and Rs 4,215-5,539 for the root variety. Regulated Marketing Committee officials said this is the first time in the history that farmers did not confirm any rates.
Sales in the other three markets were usual, but prices were down by Rs 200-300. R.K.V. Ravishankar, President of the Erode Turmeric Merchants And Godown Owners Association, said there will be no auction in all the four markets on Friday due to an election and the next sale would be on Monday.
At the Erode Turmeric Merchants Association sales yard, 3,993 bags arrived and 1,584 were sold; the finger variety at Rs 3,519-6,319, the root variety Rs 3,109-5,775.
Salem hybrid crop: The finger variety was sold at Rs 5,719-6,589, the root variety Rs 5,695-6,068.
Of 967 bags, 123 were sold.
At the Erode Cooperative Marketing Society, the finger variety got Rs 5,290- 6,099, root variety Rs 4,891-5,799. Of 1,191 bags, 1,161 were sold. At the Gobichettipalayam Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Society, the finger variety sold at Rs 5,222-6,099, the root variety Rs 4,610-5,789. Of 337 bags, 300 were sold. At the Regulated Marketing Committee, of 1,698 bags, no bag was sold.