Coriander prices crash to ₹1/kg in Betul; Multai farmers raze standing crop
Synopsis
In Betul district's Multai region, coriander prices have hit rock bottom at ₹1 per kg — so far below production costs that farmers are finding it cheaper to flatten their standing crop than harvest it. With no MSP for spices and an indifferent official response so far, this is a textbook case of how India's spice farmers are left without a safety net when markets crash.
Key Takeaways
Coriander prices in Multai, Betul district have crashed to ₹1 per kg , far below production costs.
Farmers in villages including Duni , Sipawa , Barkheda , and Mohi are destroying hundreds of acres of mature standing crop.
District Collector Saurabh Sanjay Sonwane said the matter had not yet come to his notice; no relief has been announced.
Farmers are demanding a minimum support price (MSP) mechanism for coriander to guard against price volatility.
Madhya Pradesh produced 4,84,787.87 tonnes of coriander from 1,17,498.65 hectares in 2024-25, per the Economic Survey.
The state's principal coriander hubs are Guna and Neemuch ; Multai is not a major producing zone.
Farmers in the Multai region of Betul district, Madhya Pradesh, are facing acute agrarian distress after coriander prices collapsed to as low as ₹1 per kg in local mandis, leaving cultivators with no option but to destroy their mature, ready-to-harvest crop. The crisis, unfolding across villages including Duni, Sipawa, Barkheda, and Mohi, has seen hundreds of acres of standing coriander flattened by cultivator machines.
Scale of the Crisis
With mandi rates at ₹1 per kg, farmers say the price does not cover even the basic cost of harvesting, labour, packing, and transportation — let alone seeds, fertilisers, and irrigation invested earlier in the season. Running a cultivator over a standing crop has become, for many families, a cheaper option than harvesting and selling at a loss.
'What is the point of spending money on labour and transport when the crop will not even fetch the cost of harvesting?' one farmer from the affected area said. Photographs and videos circulating on social media show green coriander fields being systematically flattened, underscoring the scale of the distress.
Official Response
District Collector Saurabh Sanjay Sonwane said the matter had not yet come to his notice, but assured that possible support would be extended once the situation is confirmed. No formal relief package or government procurement intervention has been announced as of the time of reporting.
Farmers Demand MSP for Spice Crops
Growers in the affected villages are demanding that the government establish a minimum support price (MSP) mechanism specifically for coriander, arguing that without assured procurement or price stabilisation measures, spice crops remain acutely vulnerable to market volatility. Critics argue that the absence of any price-floor mechanism for spices has repeatedly exposed farmers to boom-bust cycles that erase entire seasons of investment.
Madhya Pradesh Coriander Production: Context
Notably, Multai is not among Madhya Pradesh's principal coriander-producing zones. Guna and Neemuch are the state's major production centres, with Guna's 'Kumbhraj' variety exported to select international markets, according to the Economic Survey of Madhya Pradesh (2025-26).
According to the first estimate of 2024-25, Madhya Pradesh recorded total coriander production of 4,84,787.87 tonnes from an acreage of 1,17,498.65 hectares. The Economic Survey also notes that the total area under spices in the state rose from 9.07 lakh hectares in 2023-24 to 9.42 lakh hectares in 2024-25, with production climbing from 55.38 lakh metric tonnes to 57.43 lakh metric tonnes. Major spices produced include red chilli, garlic, coriander, and ginger.
The destruction of standing crops in Multai represents both a direct financial blow to affected families and a wider concern about agricultural produce wastage. With no immediate government intervention confirmed, the situation is being closely watched by farmer groups and agricultural policy observers.
Point of View
But spice crops like coriander are left entirely to the mercy of mandi sentiment, even as the state actively expands spice acreage. Madhya Pradesh grew its spice area by over 35,000 hectares in a single year; without a corresponding price-support architecture, that expansion simply multiplies farmer exposure to crashes. The District Collector's admission that the crisis had not yet reached his desk, even as videos of flattened fields circulated widely, points to a monitoring gap that goes beyond this season. Until spices are brought under a credible price-stabilisation framework, scenes like Multai will recur every time a bumper crop meets weak demand.
NationPress
7 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are coriander prices so low in Multai, Madhya Pradesh?
Coriander prices in Multai, Betul district have crashed to ₹1 per kg in local mandis, reportedly due to weak market demand and a lack of any price-support mechanism for spice crops. At this rate, the price does not cover the cost of harvesting, labour, packing, or transport, let alone seeds and fertilisers invested earlier.
What are farmers in Betul district doing in response to the price crash?
Farmers in villages including Duni, Sipawa, Barkheda, and Mohi are running cultivator machines over their standing coriander fields to destroy the mature crop. They say harvesting and selling at ₹1 per kg would deepen their losses, making destruction the cheaper option.
Has the government announced any relief for affected farmers?
As of the time of reporting, no formal relief has been announced. District Collector Saurabh Sanjay Sonwane said the matter had not yet come to his notice but assured that support would be extended if the situation is confirmed.
What is the farmers' main demand from the government?
Farmers are demanding that the government introduce a minimum support price (MSP) mechanism for coriander to protect them from extreme price volatility. They argue that without assured procurement or price stabilisation, spice crops will remain perpetually vulnerable to market crashes.
How significant is Madhya Pradesh's coriander production?
Madhya Pradesh produced 4,84,787.87 tonnes of coriander from 1,17,498.65 hectares in 2024-25, according to the Economic Survey of Madhya Pradesh (2025-26). The state's main coriander hubs are Guna and Neemuch; Multai, where the current crisis is centred, is not a major producing zone.
