How to decide whether holding produce in storage beats selling immediately after harvest.
2 Answers
Storing to sell later can pay because prices for many crops are lowest right after harvest when everyone sells, and often firm up over the following months. But it only works if the expected price gain beats all the holding costs. Add up the storage rent, the loss in weight and quality during storage, any interest if you borrow against the stock, and the value of having your money locked up. Then compare that against how much the price has typically risen for your crop in past seasons over the holding period. If the usual rise comfortably beats the costs, holding makes sense; if prices for your crop tend to stay flat or fall, sell early. Some crops store and appreciate reliably; perishables that lose quality fast usually do not. A warehouse receipt loan lets you store and still get cash now, which reduces the pain of waiting. Do not store on hope alone; look at the price pattern. Verify past price trends for your crop in your mandi and the storage costs with the warehouse before deciding.
I keep a simple note of what the price did each year a few months after harvest. For my crop it usually rises, so storing pays. For a friend growing a perishable, holding was a loss every time.