Brazil has potential to be major source for India's urad, tur imports: Govt

India on Thursday said Brazil has the potential to become a major source for the import of black gram (urad) and pigeon peas (tur) for the country.

The issue was discussed by a Brazilian delegation led by senior Agriculture Ministry official Julio Cesar Ramos during a courtesy call to Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare here.

"Brazil has emerged as a supplier of urad in recent years and has the potential to become a major source of India's urad and tur imports," the consumer affairs ministry said in a statement after the meeting.

The quantity of urad import from Brazil has increased from 4,102 tonnes in the 2023 calendar year to over 22,000 tonnes till October end of 2024, it added.

According to the ministry, trade in pulses with countries like Brazil and Australia has been uniquely advantageous because of the contrast in cropping seasons vis-a-vis India, which allows these countries to plan their cropping pattern based on India's crop prospects.

Take the case of chickpeas (chana), when India notified duty-free import of the commodity in May 2024, following lower rabi-2024 production, Australia responded with a massive increase in sowing area as the period coincided with the sowing season in that country.

Australia's chana production in the current year is estimated at 13.3 lakh tonne against 4.9 lakh tonne in 2023, basically for export to India.

"The arrival of a fresh crop of chana from Australia from the last week of October has augmented domestic availability and helped in dampening prices in the primary markets," the ministry added.

India imports 3-4 million tonnes of various types of pulses annually to meet the domestic shortages.