Introduction: Cumin seed commonly know as Jeera (Cuminum cyminum) belongs to Apiacae family. Though Cumin is a native of Egypt, it now mostly produced in India. India is the largest producer and consumer of Jeera (cumin seed) in the world. Jeera is an ancient spice having a history of over 5000 years and referred as native to the historical Levant region and northern Egypt. It had a major role as a flavoring, spice and medicinal uses throughout history. Cumin is used mainly where highly spiced foods are preferred. It features in Indian, Eastern, Middle Eastern, Mexican, Portuguese and Spanish cookery. It is an ingredient of most curry powders and much savoury spice mixture. Indian cumin finds worldwide use in foods, beverages, liquors, medicines, toiletries and perfumery. The production of Jeera in major competitive countries also affects the demand and prices of Jeera. The production of Jeera in Turkey, Iran and Syria affects the export prices and volume of Jeera.
Jeera is a tropical plant and grown in cooler regions which is best suited for sandy soil. It is grown from the seed. It requires less water and more cold for its better growth with ideal temperature of 25 to 30 degree. High humidity during flowering & fruit set, causes fungal diseases in this crop. Jeera or cumin seed has a significant demand as a spice all around the globe especially in the places where spicy food is preferred. It is an integral part of the recipes in various cultures. After pepper, jeera is considered to be the most important spice in the world. Cumin in grounded form also forms part of various spicy mixtures, most important being Garam masala (extensively used throughout south Asia), which are again used to add pungent flavors to the dishes and cuisines. It also has a number of medicinal uses and helps in curing many diseases. India being the world leader in the context of spice production, it is also the largest producer of jeera in the world. Jeera is generally cultivated in the hot and humid climates that are aptly provided by the regions in North Africa, southern parts of the North American continent and Southern Asia. Regarding the consumption pattern of this spice, India again bags the first place. The most of the demand for cumin seeds comes from the food and food processing industry and the world s total demand except India s demand sum up to a mere 50 to 65 thousand tons. Cultivation Pattern: Cumin plant basically thrives on a hot, tropical climate, but can also be cultivated in the cooler regions in a green house. The cumin crop can be produced on almost all soil types but the soil, which suits the best to this crop, is a well-drained, fertile sandy soil type. It needs a minimum of 3 to 4 months of duration period after which it is harvested. Cumin plant has a good tap root system that makes it a drought resistant plant.
In India the jeera plant is grown as a rabi crop i.e. it is sown in the winters in the months of October to December and is harvested in the months of February, March and April. In other cumin cultivating countries in the Middle East, the crop is planted in the months of April and is harvested in the months of August and September. The plant becomes mature and ready to harvest when it turns yellowish brown. After the crop gets harvested, the cumin seeds are cleaned up through the winnowing process. the determination of world jeera prices. India represents the world leader in the jeera production. The country produces 1 to 2 lakh tons of cumin seeds annually. Syria stands second in the list with a production figure of 25000 tons. This clears out the India is far more dominant in this context than any other country as it also possess the maximum area in the cultivation of the spice. Turkey and Iran have the same level of production i.e. 15000 to 20000 tons of cumin seeds and that makes them both stand third in the leading producer s list. Though Syria, Turkey and Iran have a much lesser level of production as compared to India, but these countries have an equally significant influence in Cropping Season: Region Cultivation Period Harvesting Period Saurashtra 20 Oct. to 20 Nov. 15 Jan. to 15 Feb. North Gujarat 01 Nov. to 25 Nov. 01 Feb. to 15 March Rajasthan 10 Nov. to 10 Dec. 01 March to 31 March Jeera India Turkey Iran Syria Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Growing Stage Harvesting Stage Sowing Stage
Production of Jeera in India: India s production sums up to 1 to 2 lakh tons of jeera per year that makes it the leading producer in the world. The country also has the largest area allotted towards jeera production i.e. around 5.25 lakh hectares. The level of production and the total area under jeera cultivation has increased significantly during the last few years. Jeera Market in India: India has ever been the world spice home and has always been renowned for the best and expensive variety of spices that are produced in the country. The similar reputation is repeated in the case of jeera or cumin seeds. Being the largest producer, consumer and exporter of jeera in the world, India claims to be the most dominating player in the world market scenario. Rajasthan scores the highest production in the country constituting to 55% of the total production in the country. The trend of production is observed to be in a rising trend. The domestic consumption demand of the spice in the country is around 1 lakh tons and the rest of the production is used for export purposes.
India exports around 12000 tons of cumin seed every year. Also, the by products of cumin seeds like oleoresins of cumin seeds and cumin oil is also exported from India. The exports of jeera from India are facing a stiff competition from the countries like Turkey and Iran as a bulk of their production is used for export purposes and also because these countries are able to provide the spice at much cheaper rates as compared to India. That is why; the exports from India have declined since a few years, reason being the contraction in the country s market share. This scenario, which is depicting a higher production trend and a lower export trend, is proving to be very harmful for the prices of this spice. Fundamental Outlook of NCDEX Jeera May Highlights News Unseasonable rains damaging crop in Rajasthan Higher export and domestic demand Low stock position Decline in acreage likely at Syria and Turkey Crop damage in Syria Weather Higher Arrival Market Trend Bearish
Detail News: Crop damage in Syria: Renewed concern over domestic crop loss and unconfirmed news of crop damage in Syria provided strong support to the prices Low stock position: 15 April, 2008 NCDEX Warehouse Stock of Jeera May 440 MT. Weather: Dust storm/thunderstorms likely at a few place over north Rajasthan and isolated over south Rajasthan is unfavorable for the crop during the harvest stage. Technical Outlook NCDEX JEERA MAY Support & Resistance levels Support Resistance S2 S1 R1 R2 8332 8577 8945 9076 Recommendation: BUY JEERA IN THE RANGE OF 8700-8750 FOR TARGET OF 9086 THEN 9288 WITH S/L OF 8500 (MARGIN: 27000)
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