Arrival of seasonal favourite avarekai to be slightly delayed this year 

Bengaluru faces steep prices for avarekai due to delayed arrival, but better conditions expected by December.

Vasanna, a farmer from Magadi town near Bengaluru has been in the avarekai (hyacinth beans) business for 43 years now. Along with growing the bean, he also works in converting the beans into its dal form, known as avarebele.  

“In 43 years, I had never seen the kind of prices we saw a couple weeks ago for avarekai and avarebele. A kg of avarebele was sold at ₹700 while avarekai was sold at ₹130 - 150 per kg. These are the steepest prices I have ever seen,” Mr. Vasanna said. 

Such is the demand for the seasonal crop avarekai in Bengaluru. In the winter season, the bean dominates the kitchens of every household and makes an appearance in a variety of dishes like upma, rotti and sambar. The majority of avarekai comes into Bengaluru from Magadi, Kolar, Chikkaballapur, Hunsur, Ranibennur and parts of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.  

After two bad years due to unpredictable weather patterns, this year, the conditions look better for avarekai. However, the delayed arrival of the bean to the market has driven the prices up. 

Currently, the selling price of avarekai in Bengaluru is around ₹70 - ₹85 per kg while peeled beans are selling for ₹100 - ₹120 per kg. The arrival of avarekai to the market is expected to increase by the end of November or early December. 

“The rainfall which occurred earlier this month led to dropping of flowers before they could become beans. Hence, the harvest of avare has been delayed by around 15 days,” Mr. Vasanna said. 

Even in Chikkaballapur, the flowering has been delayed. “We have had good rain this year unlike previous year’s draught. The avare crop is definitely better than last year, but it is not great, just ordinary. The flowering has just started and there should be ample availability in the market by December,” said Srinivasan, a farmer from Nandi village in Chikkaballapur district.