Commodity Market in India

Organized commodity derivatives in India has their old history, it was started in 1875, barely about ten year after they started in Chicago. However, many feared that derivatives fuelled superfluous speculation and were detrimental to the healthy functioning of the markets for the underlying commodities. As a result, after independence, commodity options trading and cash settlement of commodity futures were banned in 1952. A further gust came in 1960s when, following several years of severe draughts that forced many farmers to default on forward contracts and even many committed suicides, forward trading was banned in many commodities considered primary or essential. Consequently, the commodities derivative markets dismantled and remained dormant for about four decades until the new millennium when the Government, in a complete change in policy, started actively encouraging the commodity derivatives market. Since 2002, the commodities futures market in India has experienced an unprecedented boom in terms of the number of modern exchanges, number of commodities allowed for derivatives trading as well as the value of futures trading in commodities.

Revolution in commodity trading:

After the Indian economy embarked upon the process of liberalization and globalization in 1990, the Government formed a Committee headed by Prof. K.N. Kabra in 1993 to examine the role of futures trading. The Committee recommended allowing futures trading in17commodity groups. It also recommended strengthening of the Forward Markets Commission, and certain amendments to Forward Contracts (Regulation) Act 1952, particularly allowing options trading in goods and registration of brokers with Forward Markets Commission. The Government accepted most of these recommendations and futures trading were permitted in all recommended commodities.

Commodity futures trading in India remained in a state of hibernation for nearly four decades, essentially due to suspicions about the benefits of derivatives. Lastly a realization that derivatives do perform a role in risk management led the government to change its stance. The policy changes favoring commodity derivatives were also facilitated by the enhanced role assigned to free market forces under the new liberalization policy of the Government. Indeed, it was a timely decision too, since internationally the commodity cycle is on the upswing and the next decade is being touted as the decade of commodities.

SCOPE OF COMMODITY FUTURE IN INDIA:

India is amongst the top-5 producers of most of the commodities, in addition to being a major consumer due to their consumption storey. Agriculture contributes about 22% to the GDP of the Indian economy. It employees around 57% of the labor force on a total of 163 million hectares of land. Agriculture sector is an important factor in achieving a GDP growth of 8-10%. All this indicates that India can be promoted as a major center for trading of commodity derivatives. It is unfortunate that the policies of FMC during the most of 1950s to 1980s suppressed the very markets it was supposed to encourage and nurture to grow with times. It was a mistake other emerging economies of the world would want to avoid. However, it is not in India alone that derivatives were suspected of creating too much speculation that would be to the detriment of the healthy growth of the markets and the farmers. Such suspicions might normally arise due to a misunderstanding of the characteristics and role of derivative product.

It is important to understand why commodity derivatives are required and the role they can play in risk management. It is common knowledge that prices of commodities, metals, shares and currencies fluctuate over time. The possibility of adverse price changes in future creates risk for businesses. Derivatives are used to reduce or eliminate price risk arising from unforeseen price changes. A derivative is a financial contract whose price depends on, or is derived from, the price of another asset.

Two important derivatives are futures and options.

(i) Commodity Futures Contracts: A futures contract is an agreement for buying or selling a commodity for a predetermined delivery price at a specific future time. Futures are standardized contracts that are traded on organized futures exchanges that ensure performance of the contracts and thus remove the default risk. The commodity futures have existed since the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT, www.cbot.com) was established in 1848 to bring farmers and merchants together. The major function of futures markets is to transfer price risk from hedgers to speculators. For example, suppose a farmer is expecting his crop of wheat to be ready in two months time, but is worried that the price of wheat may decline in this period. In order to minimize his risk, he can enter into a futures contract to sell his crop in two months' time at a price determined now. This way he is able to hedge his risk arising from a possible adverse change in the price of his commodity.

(ii) Commodity Options contracts: Like futures, options are also financial instruments used for hedging and speculation. The commodity option holder has the right, but not the obligation, to buy (or sell) a specific quantity of a commodity at a specified price on or before a specified date. Option contracts involve two parties - the seller of the option writes the option in favor of the buyer (holder) who pays a certain premium to the seller as a price for the option. There are two types of commodity options: a 'call' option gives the holder a right to buy a commodity at an agreed price, while a 'put' option gives the holder a right to sell a commodity at an agreed price on or before a specified date (called expiry date). The option holder will exercise the option only if it is beneficial to him; otherwise he will let the option lapse. For example, suppose a farmer buys a put option to sell 100 Quintals of wheat at a price of $25 per quintal and pays a 'premium' of $0.5 per quintal (or a total of $50). If the price of wheat declines to say $20 before expiry, the farmer will exercise his option and sell his wheat at the agreed price of $25 per quintal. However, if the market price of wheat increases to say $30 per quintal, it would be advantageous for the farmer to sell it directly in the open market at the spot price, rather than exercise his option to sell at $25 per quintal.

Futures and options trading therefore helps in hedging the price risk and also provide investment opportunity to speculators who are willing to assume risk for a possible return. Further, futures trading and the ensuing discovery of price can help farmers in deciding which crops to grow. They can also help in building a competitive edge and enable businesses to smoothen their earnings because none hedging of the risk would increase the volatility of their quarterly earnings. Thus futures and options markets perform important functions that cannot be ignored in modern business environment. At the same time, it is true that too much speculative activity in essential commodities would destabilize the markets and therefore, these markets are normally regulated as per the laws of the country.

STRUCTUE OF COMODITY MARKET IN INDIA :

Forward Market Commission (FMC)

FMC is the apex organization to take care and act as the watchdog for the commodity markets in India. It was set up in 1953 under the Forward Contracts (Regulation) Act, 1952 and Managed by Ministry of Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution, Govt. of India.. Currently Shri B.C.Khatua, is the Chairman of FMC

Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX)

Promoted by Financial Technologies (India) Ltd. And various PSU Banks It commenced its operations on 10th November 2003 Headquartered in Mumbai, MCX is led by an expert management team 62 commodities; volumes 5893 crores per day Over 3000 clients trading through more than 500 brokers daily Expected turnover-50000 crores a day by 2012 Gold, Silver, Crude & Mentha oil contributing to turnover

National Commodity Exchange (NCDX)

Promoters - ICICI Bank, LIC, NABARD, NSE Punjab National Bank (PNB), CRISIL Ltd, Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) and Canara Bank It commenced its operations on December 15, 2003.NCDEX is located in Mumbai and offers facilities through more than 390 centers in India.55 commodities; volumes 3296 crores per day Chana, Urad, Guar & Silver contributing to turnover

NMCE, Ahmadabad

National Board of Trade, Indore (NBOT) :

It incorporated on July 30,1999 to offer integrated, state-of-the-art commodity futures exchange. It was incorporated to offer transparent and efficient trading platform to various market intermediaries in the commodity futures trade. Today NBOT is one of the fastest growing commodity exchanges recognized by the Government of India under the aegis of the Forward Markets Commission. Within a short span of seven years, NBOT has carved out a niche for itself in the commodities market. With a humble beginning of trading in February 2000 its average daily volume has reached a staggering 60,000 MTs (approx.) in terms of Soya oil.

National Multi-Commodity Exchange(NMCE):

National Multi Commodity Exchange of India Ltd. (NMCE) was promoted by commodity-relevant public institutions, viz., Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC), National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED), Gujarat Agro-Industries Corporation Limited (GAICL), Gujarat State Agricultural Marketing Board (GSAMB), National Institute of Agricultural Marketing (NIAM), and Neptune Overseas Limited (NOL). While various integral aspects of commodity economy, viz., warehousing, cooperatives, private and public sector marketing of agricultural commodities, research and training were adequately addressed in structuring the Exchange, finance was still a vital missing link. Punjab National Bank (PNB) took equity of the Exchange to establish that linkage. Even today, NMCE is the only Exchange in India to have such investment and technical support from the commodity relevant institutions

Except the above installation there are 22 other exchanges operates in India who provides trading of commodities however more than 90% trade executes in above mentioned exchange.

Conclusion:

Commodity trading in India was started with the objective to safeguard the farmers and provide the hedge to the industry and to discover the price of the commodity however due to lack of awareness and inadequate infrastructure the light of its benefit are miles away from the farmers and so it has became the traders and speculators paradise .Indian farmers and small traders are not so capable to understand the mathematics of commodity trading and the operational complexity involved in trading .The use of modern communication devise make them more difficult to handle .The commodity market requires more reform and more participation from the farmer and trader to get its real goal.

Pankaj Kumar