MORINGA PRICE DYNAMICS IN UZHAVAR SANDHAIS: EVIDENCE ON DAILY PRICE SPREADS, INSTABILITY, AND SPATIAL DISPERSION IN TAMIL NADU

Abstract

Moringa is a highly perishable horticultural crop in Tamil Nadu, which makes farmers sensitive to short-term price variations. Uzhavar Sandhais provide a direct marketing channel for the farmers; however, price conditions may vary across markets over time. Earlier studies have examined moringa production, marketing channels and price fluctuations, but limited studies have been done on farmers' direct-to-consumer marketing channel (Uzhavar Sandhais). The present study examined the price behaviour of six selected Uzhavar Sandhais in Dindigul, Karur and Theni districts, which are among the major moringa-growing districts of Tamil Nadu, during 2025. Daily minimum, maximum and modal price data were obtained from the Government of India’s AGMARKNET portal. Descriptive statistics, monthly mean prices, linear trend analysis, Cuddy–Della Valle Instability Index (CDVI), reported daily Min–Max price spreads and pairwise spatial price dispersion were used for the analysis. The mean modal price ranged from ₹5,617.91 per quintal in Andipatti to ₹8,774.14 per quintal in Dindigul. The coefficient of variation ranged from 47.71 per cent in Andipatti to 68.32 per cent in Karur, while CDVI ranged from 47.51 to 66.14 per cent. Prices showed positive trends in Karur, Dindigul and Theni and negative trends in Palani and Kulithalai. Monthly prices were relatively high during January–February, declined during March–April and July–August, and increased towards November–December. Theni recorded the highest mean reported relative daily price spread (43.57%), while Karur recorded the lowest (11.69%). The simple average spatial dispersion was 0.1614 among within-district pairs and 0.2428 among between-district pairs. The findings show considerable variation in moringa prices across the selected markets and months, highlighting the need for timely price information and marketing support for fresh moringa.