Mandi price volatility 2026 — the 20 most volatile crops in India
Using one year of agmarknet daily mandi data, we rank the top 20 commodities by coefficient of variation in modal price. The result: which crops swing hardest, and which farmers face the riskiest revenue.
At a glance
- Data points
- 20
- Period covered
- 2025-06-15/2026-06-15
- Last refreshed
Top 20 commodities by coefficient of variation (last 365 days)
Why some crops swing more than others
Across 20 commodities with at least 200 daily price prints in the last year, Jarbara tops the volatility ranking with a coefficient of variation of 491.50% — meaning its standard deviation is that fraction of its mean modal price. For comparison, the 20th-most-volatile crop in this list has a CV of 84.16%.
The 20 most volatile crops
| Rank | Commodity | Mean ₹/qtl | Std dev ₹ | CV % | Samples |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jarbara | 378.10 | 1,858.36 | 491.50 | 231 |
| 2 | Cock | 1,432.90 | 5,937.65 | 414.38 | 543 |
| 3 | Lilly | 234.79 | 885.91 | 377.33 | 242 |
| 4 | Astera | 2,077.71 | 7,200.20 | 346.54 | 215 |
| 5 | Mousambi (Sweet Lime) | 4,153.19 | 8,420.21 | 202.74 | 20,923 |
| 6 | Coconut | 7,226.47 | 14,579.50 | 201.75 | 31,845 |
| 7 | Water Melon | 1,987.39 | 3,675.74 | 184.95 | 8,643 |
| 8 | Cowpea (Veg) | 4,750.06 | 7,943.54 | 167.23 | 21,930 |
| 9 | Wood | 751.53 | 1,069.24 | 142.27 | 3,169 |
| 10 | Apple | 9,885.30 | 10,694.50 | 108.19 | 39,939 |
| 11 | Coriander (Leaves) | 4,466.83 | 4,756.53 | 106.49 | 39,623 |
| 12 | Methi (Leaves) | 2,023.64 | 2,079.34 | 102.75 | 5,194 |
| 13 | Cashewnuts | 39,874.24 | 40,485.45 | 101.53 | 336 |
| 14 | Lime | 6,578.52 | 6,253.06 | 95.05 | 11,808 |
| 15 | Marigold (loose) | 3,483.13 | 3,219.26 | 92.42 | 553 |
| 16 | Tender Coconut | 3,914.82 | 3,470.66 | 88.65 | 11,280 |
| 17 | Methi(Leaves) | 1,485.84 | 1,295.62 | 87.20 | 201 |
| 18 | Ginger (Dry) | 6,425.69 | 5,597.43 | 87.11 | 4,818 |
| 19 | Amranthas Red | 1,796.55 | 1,549.20 | 86.23 | 291 |
| 20 | Bottle gourd | 1,949.08 | 1,640.33 | 84.16 | 75,972 |
FAQs
What does "coefficient of variation" mean?▾
Coefficient of variation (CV) is the standard deviation of price divided by the mean, expressed as a percentage. A higher CV means a commodity's price swings more, relative to its average. Crops with CV above 30% are considered volatile.
Why does volatility matter for farmers?▾
Volatility translates directly to revenue risk. A farmer growing a CV-50% crop faces twice the income uncertainty of one growing a CV-25% crop, all else equal. It also affects MSP debate, futures hedging needs and crop-rotation choices.
Where does this data come from?▾
This analysis uses the daily mandi modal-price dataset published on data.gov.in (Agmarknet feed), filtered to the last 365 days and to commodities with at least 200 samples to ensure statistical reliability.
Cite this analysis
DeshSeva data team. Mandi price volatility 2026 — the 20 most volatile crops in India. Computed from data.gov.in / Agmarknet daily mandi prices. Last refreshed 15 Jun 2026. Licensed CC BY 4.0.