Niti Aayog member bats for GM pulses

Agriculture economist Ramesh Chand says raising the Minimum Support Price wouldn't alone boost production in the long run

Faced with a shortage of pulses and rising prices, agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh on Tuesday said the government's decision on GM pulses would depend on a green signal from GEAC or Genetic Engineering Approval Committee. GM is genetically modified.

Meanwhile, Niti Aayog member and agriculture economist Ramesh Chand supported the proposal to use GM pulses, saying that raising the Minimum Support Price (MSP) wouldn't alone boost production in the long run.

Speaking at an event organised by International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Chand said, the government needed to "rethink" the issue of GM foods. It would be like "day dreaming" to hope higher prices would increase production "without a technological breakthrough".

Currently, Bt cotton is the only GM crop allowed for commercial cultivation in India. The previous government had put a temporary ban on commercial cultivation of Bt brinjal in 2010.

At one point in time, prices of pulses were almost on a par with that of wheat and rice in India. The prices of pulses are now six times higher than that of grains. A proposal to raise MSP of pulses and other kharif crops for 2016-17 crop year (July-June) is expected to be discussed by the Cabinet soon. The agriculture ministry has proposed an increase in MSP of pulses by up to Rs 200 per quintal to encourage cultivation.

The output of pulses is estimated to be 17.3 million tonnes this year, a bit higher than 17.15 million tonnes last year. However, it is a lot lower than the record output of 19.25 million tonnes in 2013-14 crop year.

Storage capacity to be raised
The Centre has decided to add 56,800-tonne storage capacity in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Odisha.

Of this, 38,000-tonne capacity will be added in Madhya Pradesh, 12,000 tonnes in Maharashtra, and 6,800 tonnes in Odisha.

"This will help farmers in storing their crop in case of higher production rather than selling it off at throwaway prices," said Shakil Ahammed, joint secretary in agriculture ministry.

The government is also considering a new national policy on development of cold chains, for holistic infrastructure development.