NAIP funded Project “Establishing and Networking of Agricultural Market Intelligence Centers in India” is under operation at GBPUA&T, Pantnagar. One of the objectives of this project is to make price forecast well in advance of sowing of selected agricultural commodities and during harvesting. The research team of GBPUA&T, Pantnagar had conducted market survey of Haldwani regulated market, a major market for brinjal in the Uttarakhand and analyzed the market prices data prevailed for the last twenty three years in this market. The results of econometric analysis shows that the wholesale prices of brinjal in Haldwani market would be ruling in the range of Rs. 600-750 per quintal in the month of September, October 2013, and in the month of November ,2013 it would range  between Rs 500-600 per quintal. Hence farmers who wish to take brinjal cultivation in the coming season on their farms are advised to decide the area under crop considering forecasted price of brinjal as well as other climatic conditions suitable for the crop. During this period consumers prefer round shaped brinjal. It may also be considered while planning brinjal cultivation for the next season.

Brinjal is grown throughout the world in an area of about 2 million hectares with a production of about 3 million tones. The top ten producers in the world are China, India, Egypt, Turkey, Indonesia, Iraq, Japan, Italy, Sudan and Philippines. These together contribute about 94 percent of total world production. India ranks second with respect to area and production and contribute around 27 percent of the world’s production. This crop is grown over 6 lakh hectares in India. The yield rate per hectare in India is quite low and stands at 18 tons per hectare as compared to Japan and Italy where it ranges around 25 tons per hectare. Major Brinjal growing states in the country are West Bengal, Orissa, Bihar, Gujarat, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, which together account for about 94 percent of India’s production. In case of Uttarakhand state, brinjal is mainly grown in plains. It is grown in an area of 1685 hectares in the State. Dehradun, Hardwar, U.S. Nagar and Nainital are the four major districts producing brinjal and constituted about 60 percent of the total production in the state during 2011. In Uttarakhand, the peak period of round brinjal arrivals to market is October to November even though it starts arriving to market in the month of August and lasts up to January.