As an overseas buyer, you do not usually buy in the auction yourself. Licensed traders and processors buy raw crop at Unjha, Rajkot and Gondal, clean and pack it, and sell it to you as exporters.
These markets still matter to you. Their daily arrivals and auction prices are the reference your supplier's price starts from, and a visit tells you a lot about the crop.
Unjha: seed spices and psyllium
Unjha, in Mehsana district of north Gujarat, is a major APMC for cumin, fennel, psyllium and other seed spices. Many processors, warehouses and cleaning plants sit in and around the town.
New crop arrivals usually build from around February and peak around March to April. Psyllium is traded as seed and as husk. Seed spice processors in the area usually offer machine cleaned and sortex grades, and many can arrange steam sterilisation.
The auction price in the yard is for raw crop, judged by the buyer on sight and handling. Your spec is written in numbers for purity, moisture and residues. The gap between the two is the processor's job, which is why the cleaning and testing matter as much as the market price.
Rajkot and Gondal: Saurashtra markets
Rajkot and Gondal are major APMCs in the Saurashtra region. They trade groundnut, cumin, sesame, chilli, cotton and many other crops.
Groundnut and kharif sesame arrivals rise after harvest, roughly September to November. Cumin arrives in spring, as at Unjha. Processors in the area supply groundnut kernels, natural and hulled sesame, and seed spices.
Many processors buy in more than one market. A plant near Rajkot may buy cumin at Gondal or Unjha if the quality or price suits, so ask where the raw material for your lot was bought.
How a deal reaches you
Because the processor buys raw material as your order runs, a quoted price is usually valid only for a short time unless you book ahead. See forward or seasonal price booking.
- You agree a spec, price and shipment period with the processor.
- The processor buys raw lots at auction, often over several days, to fill your order.
- The raw crop goes to the plant for cleaning, grading and any sterilisation.
- A pre-shipment sample is drawn and tested against your spec.
- The goods are packed, loaded into the container and trucked to Mundra, Pipavav or another port.
Using the markets to your advantage
Be wary of any supplier who will not talk about the market. A real processor buys there through the season. For the basics, see what an APMC market is.
- Ask your supplier for the recent arrivals and price trend each week during the season.
- Watch NCDEX cumin and coriander futures, when they are trading, as a wider signal.
- Visit during peak arrivals to see the range of quality in the yard.
- Ask which market the raw material for your lot came from.
- Combine a market visit with plant audits, since processors cluster near the yards.
How we help
Creston & Co tracks Unjha and Saurashtra market trends for our buyers and visits processors near the yards. We have samples tested at NABL-accredited labs and supervise loading. Ask for a free sourcing review.