Centre to import 10k tonnes of pulses

As sowing of lentils and moong remained muted in the current rabi season owing to low soil moisture, the Centre decided to import around 10,000 tonnes of pulses over the next few months. The government also extended zero import duty on chickpeas and masoor till September 2016. It will soon float tenders for 5,000 tonnes each of tur and urad dal.

"All these measures would enable further building of adequate buffer stock of pulses and also increase the availability of pulses in the domestic market," said an official statement released after a high-level meeting chaired by the Union Cabinet secretary.

Earlier this week, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) had approved the creation of a buffer stock of pulses by procuring 150,000 tonnes at market price and the stock would be used to check spurts in retail rates.

Data furnished by the agriculture department showed that sowing of not only lentils and moong, but wheat and mustard was also lower than last year.

Till Friday, wheat was sown in 20.2 million hectares of land, 96 million hectares less than corresponding period last year.

Pulses was sown in 11.45 million hectares - one million hectare less than last year's figure, while mustard seed was sown in 5.72 million hectares, 0.49 million hectares less than last year's number.

In total, rabi crops have been planted in 44.23 million hectares, down from 48.66 million hectares sown during the same period last year.

The Centre's efforts to procure around 50,000 tonnes of pulses directly from farmers to create buffer stocks are also progressing slowly.

According to officials, till last week only 104 tonnes of urad were purchased mostly from Rajasthan and that too after the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India lowered its standards to enable the government to make purchases.

The need for creating the buffer stock arose as retail prices have gone through the roof due to a fall in domestic output by two million tonnes to 17.2 million tonnes in 2014-15 crop year (July-June).

Data from the Central Water Commission showed that till December 10, the water level in 81 major reservoirs was 80.26 billion cubic metres, which was 80 per cent of the storage capacity of last year and 76 per cent of the past 10 years.