Hold finger millet until March, growers told

The price of ragi or finger millet could go up in February.
Farmers should take advantage of this situation by storing the produce for sale at a later date, say farm varsity experts.
Widely used among the diet-conscious people and as a substitute for rice among diabetic patients, the finger millet is also considered a staple diet across many villages in South India.
More than 80 per cent of the crop is grown during kharif season (July–August) and raised mainly in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Uttarakhand.
In 2012-13, ragi production was 19.29 from 13.07 lakh hectares.
Karnataka tops in production at 67 per cent of the total, followed by Tamil Nadu at 11 per cent (of the total production).
According to the First Advance Estimates of the Agriculture Ministry, the country is estimated to have produced 15.9 lakh tonnes during the kharif season this year.