Pulses output to fall up to 9% due to poor rainfall

After a record production of 15.11 million tonnes (mt) last year, the output of pulses is set to decline this year due to an anticipated dip in the kharif output.

The agriculture ministry estimates the kharif output of pulses to decline by up to 9 per cent as a result of an early drought-like situation in major pulse-producing states like Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, which has impacted sowing of urad and moong.

The rise in prices of these pulses is certain to put pressure on inflation, currently at a 13-year high of 12.01 per cent.

“Sowing of pulses has been lagging by nearly one-and-a-half million hectares. The gap in acreage will narrow but may still remain lower by one million hectares. This will mainly affect production of urad and moong as these cannot be sown in August. However, the sowing of tur should be normal. The gap could cause the output of kharif pulses to drop by 500,000-600,000 tonnes,” said NB Singh, agriculture commissioner in the Union agriculture ministry.

However, Singh said there was a high possibility that the gap would be made up by a bumper rabi crop.

The output of pulses in the last kharif season was 6.45 mt. Kharif season usually accounts for about 42 per cent output.

India is the world’s biggest producer and consumer of pulses and mainly imports from Myanmar, Australia, Canada and the United States as the gap between domestic output and consumption ranges is two-three million tonnes.

The government has asked public sector undertakings Nafed, MMTC and STC to import 1.5 mt pulses in the current fiscal. However, during the April-July period, only 125,000 tonnes could be imported as international supplies during the period were limited.

KC Bhartiya, president of the Pulses Importers’ Association, said there was shortage of pulses internationally and the strengthening of the dollar against the Indian rupee had made imports costlier.

Retail prices of urad, gram and tur have been rising continuously. The commodity has a weight of 0.60 per cent in the wholesale price index.

To boost domestic supplies, the government had banned export of pulses in June 2006 and allowed duty-free imports. Futures trading in urad, tur and chana has also been banned.