A bumper arrival of moong (green gram) and attractive prices being offered for the crop at Kotkapura grain market are set to give a significant boost to the cause of crop diversification in the Faridkot region.The Kotkapura mandi has already recorded an arrival of nearly 4,500 to 5,000 bags (50 kg each) of moong this season, with the crop fetching Rs 8,100 to Rs 8,200 per quintal on Friday — up significantly from last year’s maximum price of Rs 6,100 per quintal.Notably, the arrival recorded so far this season already matches the total quantity that came to the mandi during the entire last season.“The pace of arrivals this year has been remarkable, and going by current trends, the season’s total is expected to far exceed last year’s figures,” said Umesh Garg, president of the Arhtiya Association, Kotkapura.Unseasonal rains earlier this season had slightly affected the quality of the crop, rendering the grain marginally lighter, but this has done little to dampen market sentiment. Local processing units and traders have been actively procuring the produce, keeping daily trading volumes brisk.The biggest draw for farmers this season, however, has been the price.Interestingly, the minimum support price (MSP) fixed by the Centre for moong stands at Rs 6,700 per quintal, but the crop is trading well above this floor price owing to strong private commercial demand.Brisk private tradeEven though government agencies do not actively procure the pulse, brisk private trade — driven by local processing mills as well as buyers from outside the state — has ensured highly profitable returns for growers, said Sanjay Mittal, an arhtiya in Kotkapura.Traders pointed out that prices had gone up by Rs 500 to Rs 600 per quintal as the season progressed last year, adding that a similar trend could mean even better returns for farmers in the coming weeks.The combination of a good yield and strong prices is being seen as a major boost for farmers in a state that has long been trying to wean itself away from the water-guzzling wheat-paddy cycle.Pulses such as moong require significantly less water, enrich the soil with nitrogen and have a much shorter crop cycle compared to paddy, agriculture experts in the area said. The current profitability of the crop is likely to encourage more farmers to bring larger areas under pulse cultivation in the coming seasons, they added.The market currently has a mix of the early-sown “Saathi” variety (a 60-day duration crop) and the standard moong variety. While Saathi is trading at a discount of Rs 100 to Rs 150 per quintal compared to the standard variety, overall returns across both remain attractive.