Mandi bhav, read the way a trader reads it
Four numbers on one line, and only one of them is about your crop.
The line on the board
A price record names the commodity, the variety, the grade, a minimum, a maximum and a modal price, plus the quantity that arrived. The modal price is the most frequently traded rate — it is the best single estimate of what a normal lot fetched.
Why the maximum is a trap
The maximum price is usually a small, high-grade lot, sometimes a single trade. It is published because it happened, not because it is available. If your crop is average grade, plan around the modal price and treat the maximum as information about the best lot in the mandi that day.
Arrivals tell the story
A price fall on a day with heavy arrivals is not a mystery. If your local mandi is receiving peak-season volume, holding for a week may cost more in storage and moisture loss than the price recovery. That trade-off is the whole decision.
Building your own record
Write down your own sale: date, weight, grade, rate, deductions, net. Four or five seasons of that record is more reliable for your farm than any national average, because it reflects your soil, your grade and your mandi.
Questions people ask
Is modal price the same as the rate I will get?
It is the best single reference for an average lot of that grade. Your actual rate depends on quality, quantity and the buyer that day.
Should I sell on a high-arrival day?
Usually not if you can store safely, because heavy arrivals pressure the price. But storage has a cost and a risk — weigh both.