India chana futures end flat, eyes sowing progress

MUMBAI, Nov 26 (Reuters) - India's chana futures ended flat
on Thursday as profit-taking erased gains due to weak arrivals
in the spot market, firm prices of other pulses and concerns
acreage may drop in a key growing region, analysts said.

The area under chana may shrink this year in Rajasthan due
to poor rainfall and a diversion towards rapeseed, traders
said.

Chana acreage in Rajasthan as on Nov. 20 stood at 680,000
hectares, compared with 971,000 hectares in the same period
last year.

But, farmers are likely to expand area in top producer
Madhya Pradesh, where as on Nov. 16 acreage stood at 2.657
million hectares compared to 2.226 million hectares a year ago.

"Prices of kharif pulses have improved significantly in
last one week. They are providing support to chana," said
Vandana Bharti, a senior analyst at SMC Comtrade.

Chana, a winter-sown pulse, is priced lower than kharif
pulses like tur, urad and moong, but follows their trend as
consumers tend to buy the cheaper substitute.

In the Delhi spot market, the price climbed by 37 rupees to
2,525 rupees per 100 kg.

Following are the closing prices of chana futures in rupees
per 100 kg on the National Commodity Derivatives Exchange
<0#NCH:>

Contract Reuters code Closing price Change in %

==========================================================

Dec NCHZ9 2,652 Unchanged

Jan NCHF0 2,780 0.07

(Reporting by Rajendra Jadhav; Editing by Prem Udayabhanu)

((rajendra.jadhav@thomsonreuters.com; tel: 91 22 6636 9153;
Reuters Messaging: rajendra.jadhav.reuters.com@reuters.net))

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