How to Read Mandi Prices: A Practical Guide for Farmers & Buyers
A mandi price line has five things worth reading: the commodity and variety, the min, max and modal price per quintal, the market and district, the grade, and the arrival date. Together they tell you the typical rate, the spread, and how fresh the number is.
The anatomy of a price row
Take a row like: Onion · Red · FAQ · Lasalgaon, Nashik · Min ₹1,400 · Max ₹2,600 · Modal ₹1,800 · 12 Jul 2026. Here is how to read each part.
1. Commodity & variety
Prices differ sharply by variety. "Onion" alone is not enough — Nashik red onion and a local white onion trade differently. Always match the variety to what you grow or buy.
2. Min, max and modal
The modal price is your baseline typical rate. The min–max range shows how much grade and quality swing the price that day. A wide range means quality matters a lot; a narrow range means the market is uniform.
3. Grade
"FAQ" means Fair Average Quality — the standard benchmark grade. Better-than-FAQ lots fetch the top of the range; below-FAQ lots the bottom.
4. Market & district
Location drives price through transport cost and local demand. Comparing nearby mandis can reveal a better place to sell — sometimes a short extra haul pays for itself.
5. Arrival date
This is the day the produce was priced at the yard. If it lags today's date, that mandi has not reported yet. Never treat an old arrival date as today's live rate.
Turning the numbers into a decision
Selling: compare the modal price across the mandis you can reach, net of transport, and note the trend before deciding to sell now or hold. Buying: use the cheapest-market and price-spread callouts on our commodity pages to find arbitrage. Budgeting: convert the modal price to per kg and add a realistic retail margin.
Common mistakes to avoid
Reading the max as "the price" (it is the best lot, not the typical one); ignoring the arrival date; comparing different varieties; and treating a wholesale rate as a retail price.