Good sowing may trim pulses deficit

With a good kharif sowing indicating a higher output this season, India hoped to significantly trim the three-four million tonnes of deficit in pulses supply, Agriculture Secretary P K Basu said.

“Sowing is going well. Paddy, cotton and oilseed sowing is well ahead of last year’s levels. If rains progress well, we will be able to cut the pulses deficit significantly,” Basu said.

During the week ended July 2, pulses acreage rose by 200,000 hectare (ha) to 515,000 ha on improved prospects of monsoon rain. However, the overall pulses area is still lower than 518,000 ha achieved in the same time last year.

Sowing of other summer crops has also picked up. The area under paddy stood at 4.65 million ha, surpassing last year’s level by 100,000 ha and oilseed acreage was 2.89 million ha, way ahead of last year’s 1.3 million ha, data showed.

“This time, farmers are cautious as monsoon progress is delayed by over two weeks in many parts. Also, the use of hybrid variety seeds has been advised. As rain improves, we would see pulses sowing making better progress,” he said.

To meet local demand, India had imported about three-four million tonnes of pulses last year to supplement the country’s 14.7 million tonne output.

India is targeting to produce 16.5 million tonnes of pulses during the current year.

In order to encourage higher sowing of pulses, this year the government hiked support price of these crops by Rs 380-700 a quintal.

The government has initiated a number of schemes to enhance production of pulses. In the Union Budget of 2010-11 (April-March), it allocated Rs 400 crore to boost production of pulses and oilseeds.

After a lull of nearly a fortnight, monsoon rain had progressed over most parts of the major pulses growing areas of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, southeast Rajasthan and parts of southern Uttar Pradesh by Sunday. India has received 14 per cent below normal rain so far this monsoon season.

Rain over the grain bowl of northwest India and oilseed and pulses growing central India has been 27 per cent and 16 per cent below normal respectively.

However, the agriculture secretary does not seem perturbed by this trend. Allaying concerns over weak monsoon progress, he said good rain forecast for July and August was likely to lift kharif sowing over last year’s level.

About 45 per cent of India’s pulses production is during the kharif season, with the rest in rabi.

Last year, farmers had sown pulses over a net area of 23.16 million ha and the industry sees the coverage rising 10-12 per cent.