Where Barley Is Grown
Rajasthan is the largest producer, with Jaipur, Sikar, Jhunjhunu, Bhilwara, Ajmer, Sri Ganganagar and Hanumangarh the main districts. Uttar Pradesh (Agra, Mathura, Kanpur, Ghazipur), Madhya Pradesh, Haryana (Hisar, Bhiwani, Rewari) and Punjab follow. Barley handles drought, poor and saline soils better than wheat, so it is often grown where wheat struggles.
How Barley Is Grown
Barley is sown like wheat, from late October to November, and needs fewer irrigations. Six-row barley is the traditional feed and food type. Two-row malt barley, with plump, uniform grain and good germination, is grown under contract for malt houses, mostly in Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab. Varieties such as DWRB series malt barleys come from ICAR's Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research at Karnal.
Season Calendar
Sowing
Late October to November.Harvest and arrivals
March–April, peaking in April in the Jaipur and western UP markets.Malt buying
Malt houses contract with farmers before sowing and buy at harvest.Barley Mandis
- Jaipur (Muhana) Mandi, RajasthanLeading barley marketAboutExplore
- Sri Ganganagar and Hanumangarh, RajasthanCanal-irrigated barleyAboutExplore
- Kota and Bhilwara Mandis, RajasthanBarley tradeAboutExplore
- Agra and Kanpur Mandis, Uttar PradeshUP barleyAboutExplore
Uses, Quality and Price Drivers
A large share of Indian barley goes into animal feed, especially for dairy cattle in Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab. A large and growing share goes into malt, for beer, whisky, malted milk drinks and malt extract used in bakery and confectionery. A smaller share is eaten as sattu (roasted barley flour, often mixed with gram), as jau roti, and in health foods and barley water. Barley also has a religious role in Hindu rituals.
Malt houses buy only two-row malt barley that is plump, uniform, low in protein and germinates well, and they pay a premium for it. Feed barley is bought mainly on price and cleanliness. Prices move with the wheat crop, since barley competes with wheat for land, with feed demand from the dairy sector, and with brewery growth. India sometimes imports malt barley when domestic quality is short.
Malt, Brewery and Food Buyers
Malt houses steep, sprout and kiln-dry barley to make malt for beer, whisky, malted milk drinks and malt extract. Large brewers buy malt and sometimes contract barley farming directly.
- United Breweries LtdBengaluru · Kingfisher; large buyer of malt barleyAboutExplore
- Anheuser-Busch InBev India LtdBrewer; barley sourcing in IndiaAboutExplore
- Hindustan Unilever LtdHorlicks and Boost malted drinksAboutExplore
- Pro Nature Organic Foods Pvt LtdBarley (jau) and sattu for householdsAboutExplore
Research and Exchange
Barley has traded on NCDEX, with Jaipur as the delivery centre, and its spot price is followed by maltsters and feed makers.
- ICAR – Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research (IIWBR)Karnal · malt and feed barley varietiesAboutExplore
- NCDEX barleyExchange contract and spot priceAboutExplore
Barley by State
Tap a state for its districts, markets, government buying and buyers.
Processed Products
Related: Wheat · Basmati Rice · Non-Basmati Rice · Maize · Bajra · Jowar · Ragi · Barley · Soils.in for farmer help · FoodProcessingIndustries.in
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