Outlook of bullish prices in chana in the beginning of the season ie February 2021 had encouraged market participants to stock chana or chickpeas, traders in Jaipur and Delhi market said. The commodity price was forecast to touch 6000-6200 rupees per 100 kg mark by the end of 2021. However, since June, chana prices continued to hit new lows and have given all value chain participants scary nights. Reason, the Government’s intervention in the form of stock limits; opening up of imports of tur or pigeon peas, and the latest of all SEBI restrictions on Futures trade of the commodity. Besides these, the demand side also remains grim with end consumers buying remaining need based despite ongoing festivals. In this scenario, will chana prices scale higher? Factors to watch

o   Full re-opening of the economy pushing up the demand

o   Festival season demand

o   Inventories of chana in the market

o   Imports of chickpeas

o   Opening of yellow peas import

o Government 2020-21 production of 11.99 mln ton vs trade participants view of 7.8-8.3 mln ton