Where Jowar Is Grown
Maharashtra is the biggest jowar state, with the black soils of Solapur, Ahmednagar, Pune, Beed, Osmanabad (Dharashiv) and Jalna growing large rabi crops. Karnataka follows, with Vijayapura, Kalaburagi, Belagavi, Bagalkot and Raichur. Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan grow mostly kharif jowar, often for fodder as well as grain.
How Jowar Is Grown
Rabi jowar is sown in September and October on deep black soils that have soaked up the monsoon rain, and it grows almost entirely on that stored moisture. It gives bold, white, lustrous grain that fetches a good price. The traditional Maldandi (M 35-1) variety of Solapur is famous for its taste and keeping quality. Kharif jowar is sown with the monsoon; its grain can be darkened by rain at harvest, so much of it is used for feed, starch or alcohol. The stalks (kadbi) are valuable cattle fodder, and farmers often earn as much from fodder as from grain.
Season Calendar
Kharif jowar
Sown June–July, harvested September–October.Rabi jowar
Sown September–October, harvested January–March; best-quality grain.Arrivals
Rabi jowar reaches Solapur, Latur and Karnataka mandis from February.Jowar Mandis
- Solapur APMC, MaharashtraFamous for maldandi jowarAboutExplore
- Latur and Barshi, MaharashtraMarathwada jowar tradeAboutExplore
- Ahmednagar and Pune Market YardsWestern Maharashtra jowarAboutExplore
- Vijayapura and Kalaburagi, KarnatakaNorth Karnataka jowarAboutExplore
Uses, Quality and Price Drivers
Rabi jowar is mostly food grain: bhakri in Maharashtra, jolada rotti in North Karnataka, and now flour, flakes, puffs and gluten-free baking across India. Kharif jowar and lower grades go to poultry and cattle feed, starch and grain-based alcohol. The stalks (kadbi) are among the most valued dry fodders, and in drought years fodder prices can exceed the grain's value.
Traders grade rabi jowar by whiteness, lustre, bold uniform grain and low moisture. Maldandi from Solapur and Barshi sells at a clear premium over hybrid jowar. Kharif grain darkened by rain (mouldy or "kala" grain) is discounted heavily. Prices depend on the rabi crop size in Maharashtra and Karnataka, on how much soil moisture the late monsoon left behind, and increasingly on urban health-food demand.
Exports
India exports jowar in small volumes to the Gulf, Africa and the USA, where Indian communities buy white jowar flour. Gluten-free jowar products are a growing export line supported by APEDA's millet export programme.
Brands, Processors and Online Sellers
Jowar flour, flakes, puffs and gluten-free baked goods are now sold across India. Brands buy from FPOs and traders in Maharashtra and Karnataka.
- Soulfull (Kottaram Agro Foods Pvt Ltd)Bengaluru · millet and jowar foods; owned by Tata Consumer ProductsAboutExplore
- Slurrp Farm (Wholsum Foods Pvt Ltd)Jowar and millet foodsAboutExplore
- 24 Mantra Organic (Sresta Natural Bioproducts Pvt Ltd)Organic jowar flourAboutExplore
- Pro Nature Organic Foods Pvt LtdOrganic jowarAboutExplore
Research and Government
- ICAR – Indian Institute of Millets Research (IIMR)Hyderabad · sorghum and millet researchAboutExplore
- Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, RahuriRabi jowar varieties for MaharashtraAboutExplore
- Karnataka and Maharashtra jowar procurementState buying at MSP when prices fallAboutExplore
Jowar by State
Tap a state for its districts, markets, government buying and buyers.
Related: Wheat · Basmati Rice · Non-Basmati Rice · Maize · Bajra · Jowar · Ragi · Barley · Soils.in for farmer help · FoodProcessingIndustries.in · Bajra · Ragi
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