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Isabgol acreage sets record this rabi season.
Feb 27, 2024

Gujarat tops the country in production and processing of isabgol (psyllium husk from the species Plantago ovata), locally known as ‘ghodajiru’. Figures from the state agriculture department show that the acreage sown with isabgol has been increasing over the years and in 2024 reached the highest level in a decade.
In the last decade, isabgol acreage was the highest in the financial year ended March 2018, when it reached 25,127 hectares.
 
Agriculture department officials said the prices of isabgol this year have ranged from a high of Rs 17,000 to a low of Rs 15,500 per quintal. In the last six years, prices have increased by 121%.
The Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) yard at Unjha is the biggest one in India for isabgol trading. Dinesh Patel, the chairman of the Unjha APMC, said, 'The prices of isabgol are high. Its use as a laxative and even in the confectionery industry are also increasing. Farmers are thus being drawn towards its cultivation. Gujarat accounts for 90% of the country’s isabgol processing and its production has doubled in the state in the last five years,' he said.
 
The secretary of the APMC, whose name is also Dinesh Patel, said, 'Last year the prices hovered around Rs 15,000 a quintal and thus more and more farmers are choosing to grow it. This crop also has a lower risk of damage compared to cumin, the other important cash crop in this region. Grazing animals also stay away from fields sown with isabgol.'
The secretary said Gujarat and the Unjha area have about 30 isabgol processing units.
A multinational conglomerate is the biggest buyer of the product here. He said over 85% of the crop produced in the state goes to the US, Germany, Italy, the UK and other countries.
According to agriculture department officials, isabgol production has increased from 6,817 metric tonnes in 2018-19 to 12,952 metric tonnes in 2022-23.
The area under cultivation has increased from 6,754 hectares in 2019 to 31,204 hectares in 2024.
Kutch district accounts for 36% of the state’s isabgol production, followed by Banaskantha at 23%, Patan (16%), Ahmedabad and Surendranagar (11% each). These five districts account for 97% of the state’s isabgol cultivation.
Officials said that according to the Federation of Indian Export Organizations, the value of India’s exports of isabgol grew by 37% to $261.44 million in 2020-21. This further rose to $300 million in the 2022-23 financial year.
Isabgol is used in ayurveda, unani and modern medicine systems. Its seeds are said to have cooling properties and the ability to alleviate inflammation of the mucous membranes of the digestive and urogenital systems.
Beyond its medicinal role, isabgol can also be used in dyeing, textile printing, the ice-cream industry, confectionery and cosmetics. De-husked isabgol seeds are about 17% to 19% protein, making them suitable for animal feed.
    
timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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