MP govt raises pulses sowing target by 26% to boost output

Madhya Pradesh government has raised the pulses sowing target by 26 per cent to 21.5 lakh hectares in the ongoing Kharif season to boost production and meet rising demand.
The acreage target for soyabean crop has been reduced by 5 per cent to 56 lakh hectares for the Kharif season of 2016-17 crop year.
"Farmers interest towards soyabean has come down this year because of losses suffered by them during last three kharif seasons due to drought and unseasonal rains," said Mohan Lal Meena, a senior state agriculture ministry official.
Farmers have started growing more pulses this year in view of high minimum supprt price announce by the Centre, he added.

"Therefore, we have lowered the sowing target of soyabean to 56 lakh hecatres, while we have raised pulses sowing target to 21.5 lakh hecatres. Even the Centre's policy is to promote pulses production," he said.
In 2015-16 Kharif season, soyabean acreage was 59 lakh hecatare while area under coverage for pulses was 17 lakh hecatres, Meena said.

Soyabean Processors' Association of India's Executive Director D N Pathak said the processing industry would not be much impacted because of estimated 5 per cent decline in area under soyabean.
Production could rise despite lower area if the country receives good monsoon as forecast by weather office, he added.

India's pulses production is estimated to have declined to 17.06 million tonnes in the 2015-16 crop year (July-June) as against the annual demand of 23-24 million tonnes. Prices of pulses have reached up to Rs 200 per kg in the retail markets of the country.