The Economic Survey has recommended keeping sensitive commodities such as rice, wheat and most pulses outside the ambit of the futures market until the markets are developed and the regulator has a higher degree of comfort in diversifying the portfolio.
The agriculture futures market should focus on less sensitive commodities such as oilseed complex (oilseeds, meals, and oils), feed (maize), cotton, basmati rice and spices, it said.
The commodity futures market can effectively contribute to price discovery only when many consumers, producers, traders, and aggregators use these markets to hedge their risk. The interplay of these participants, speculators and arbitrageurs provides liquidity and helps price discovery for longer periods.
