After edible oil, cumin or jeera prices are likely to soar by up to 30-35 per cent to touch a five-year high of Rs 165-170 per kg in the 2021-2022 crop season following a decline in production, low acreage and damage to the crop due to excess rainfall, according to a report.

Cumin appears set to take the centre stage as a sharp decline in production in crop season 2021-22 (November-May) drives up its prices to a five-year high, Crisil Research said in a report.

Cumin acreage fell by an estimated 21 per cent year-on-year to 9.83 lakh hectare during rabi season 2021-2022, it said. The acreage has declined by 22 per cent in Gujarat and by 20 per cent in Rajasthan, the two major cumin-producing states.

According to the report, farmers have shifted to mustard and gram crops, which witnessed a surge in prices. During the cumin-sowing period (October-December 2021), mustard prices jumped 43 per cent year-on-year to Rs 74 per kg and gram prices increased 35 per cent, making these more attractive.