Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) has projected farm-gate prices of ₹37-38 per kg for good-quality brinjal during the upcoming harvest season and advised farmers to plan their sowing accordingly, according to The Hindu BusinessLine report published on August 6, 2026.
TNAU expects good-quality brinjal to fetch ₹37-38 per kg at the farm gate during the upcoming harvest period.
Price Outlook and Methodology
The price forecast has been released by the Domestic and Export Market Intelligence Cell (DEMIC), which operates under TNAU's Centre for Agricultural and Rural Development Studies (CARDS). According to the university, DEMIC arrived at the projection after analysing brinjal prices in the Dindigul and Coimbatore markets over the past 15 years, supplemented by a market survey. Based on this analysis of long-term price trends and prevailing market conditions, DEMIC expects farm-gate prices for good-quality brinjal to hover around ₹37-38 per kg during the harvest period.
The university has advised growers to factor in the price outlook while making sowing decisions for the coming season. Farmers planning the next planting cycle now have a stated price reference from a state agricultural university, built on a 15-year price series from two regional wholesale hubs.
India and Tamil Nadu Production Data
According to TNAU, India remained one of the world's leading brinjal producers in 2024-25. As per the final estimates of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, the crop was cultivated on 6.89 lakh hectares, producing 131.31 lakh tonnes, with an average productivity of 19.06 tonnes per hectare.
| 2024-25 (final estimates) | India | Tamil Nadu |
|---|---|---|
| Area under cultivation | 6.89 lakh hectares | 0.20 lakh hectares |
| Production | 131.31 lakh tonnes | 2.68 lakh tonnes |
In Tamil Nadu, brinjal occupied 0.20 lakh hectares during 2024-25, with production estimated at 2.68 lakh tonnes. The national average productivity reported by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare stood at 19.06 tonnes per hectare.
Producing Districts and Wholesale Markets
The major producing districts in the State, according to TNAU, are:
- Dharmapuri
- Salem
- Tiruvannamalai
- Krishnagiri
Key wholesale markets handling fresh brinjal arrivals in Tamil Nadu include:
- Hosur
- Dindigul
- Salem
- Coimbatore
Besides local production, the university said the State receives supplies from neighbouring Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to meet domestic demand. Tamil Nadu-grown brinjal is also traded in Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, indicating a two-way flow of the vegetable across southern Indian states.
Market Implications
For commodity traders and procurement teams monitoring horticultural commodities in southern India, the TNAU projection provides a benchmark for good-quality brinjal at the farm gate during the harvest period. The price band of ₹37-38 per kg is supported by a 15-year price analysis of the Dindigul and Coimbatore markets, two of the key wholesale centres named in the outlook. The production data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare — 131.31 lakh tonnes nationally and 2.68 lakh tonnes in Tamil Nadu — frames the supply side of the market, while the named trade routes into and out of Tamil Nadu indicate how regional supplies interconnect.
Given that the outlook is explicitly tied to "good-quality" produce, the price projection applies to a specific grade, and growers are advised to align sowing decisions with the forecast. The authority issuing the projection is DEMIC, the market intelligence cell of TNAU, which also operates the CARDS research centre. The forecast was published by The Hindu BusinessLine on August 6, 2026.
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