Spot turmeric unexpectedly slid by Rs 300 a quintal on Thursday here. Traders here haven’t yet received any orders from North India, possibly because they already have huge stocks. Hybrid turmeric fell by Rs 750 a quintal because of poor quality. “We don’t know why prices have fallen so much. Only few days more for the Durga Pooja, but still no fresh orders have come from North India. In other markets also sales were poor,” said Erode Turmeric Merchants Association President R.K.V. Ravishankar.

He said this was the first time he was seeing turmeric sales dropping to such lows. He said that prices in Nizamabad and Sangli are also low.

Senniappa Gounder, a farmer in his eighties, said: “I have never seen such poor sales. Last year, more than 4,000 bags were sold for a maximum price of Rs 5,789 a quintal on the corresponding day. But this year only, 1,300 bags arrived, of which only half was sold.”

Traders said they are not buying due to poor countrywide demand, so the farmers also brought fewer bags to the auction centre.

At the Erode Turmeric Merchants Association sales yard, the finger variety was sold at Rs 3,811-5,329 a quintal, the root variety at Rs 3,678-4,677.

Salem hybrid crop: The finger variety was sold at Rs 5,020-5,554, the root variety at Rs 4,614-5,239. Of the 468 bags that arrived, only 72 were sold.

At the Regulated Marketing committee, the finger variety was sold at Rs 4,219-5,349, the root variety at Rs 4,089-5,169. All the 350 bags kept for sale found takers.

At the Erode Cooperative Marketing Society, the finger variety was sold at Rs 5,158-6,018, the root variety at Rs 4,899-5219. Of the 489 bags put up for sale, 441 were sold.

At the Gobichettipalayam Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Society, the finger variety was sold at Rs 4,600-5,859, the root variety Rs 3,872-5,219. All the 44 bags kept for sale were sold.

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