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The government is committed to making India self-reliant in pulses by December 2027, Cooperation Minister Amit Shah said on Thursday, asserting that the country will not import a single kilogram of pulses from January 2028.
His remarks came while launching a tur dal procurement portal through which farmers can register and sell their produce to the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (Nafed) and the National Cooperative Consumers' Federation of India (NCCF) at a minimum support price or market price. Nafed and NCCF are two central nodal agencies that undertake pulses procurement on behalf of the government for maintaining a buffer stock under the Price Stabilisation Fund (PSF). They also buy pulses under the Price Support Scheme when the rates fall below the MSP.
“Grow pulses, don't worry about prices. We will procure at MSP. By December 2027, the country should become self-reliant in pulses. We will not import even one kilo of pulses from January 2028,” Shah, who is also the Home minister, said at the launch.
He said with procurement via the portal, the initiative will bring a major reform in the agriculture sector and help achieve self-reliance in pulses production. “Tur will be procured from farmers and it is Prime Minister Narendra Modi's guarantee," he said, adding that a similar facility will be unveiled in the future for urad and masoor farmers as well as maize farmers.
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"This is a good initiative for farmers. If crop prices are below the MSP then procurement is done under the old system but in the new process even if the prices are more than MSP, then also agencies will procure. Farmers will benefit either way. This is one of the best gifts to pulses farmers and it will increase their income. By 2027, we will be self-sufficient in pulses and will achieve zero import target," said Rahul Chauhan, commodity analyst with iGrain India.
Suresh Agarwal of All India Dal Mills Association, however, said it remains to be seen how beneficial it will be to farmers as there are many conditions and quality parameters associated with selling to Nafed and NCCF which many can't fulfil.
The procurement portal comes at a time when the domestic tur output in the 2023-24 Kharif season is anticipated to be lower for the second straight year in view of the fall in acreage. The central nodal agencies hope to procure maximum quantity for maintaining sufficient buffer and keep a lid on retail inflation ahead of general elections.
Tur production touched a record of 4.87 million tonnes in the 2016-17 Kharif season and in consecutive years the output fell and reached as low as 3.31 million tonnes in 2022-23. As per the initial estimate of the agriculture ministry, tur output is pegged at 3.42 million tonnes for the 2023-24 Kharif season.
What is the e-samridhi portal
E-samridhi, the revamped portal for procurement of tur at MSP or at a higher average price than MSP, allows farmers to pre-register themselves for selling pulses to Nafed and NCCF under the existing schemes of Price Stabilisation Fund (PSF) and Price Support Scheme (PSS).
It integrates procurement and inventory management, enabling direct payment to farmers using the Public Financial Management System.
Farmers will get timely hassle-free payments directly into their accounts.
Currently, farmers can sell their produce under PSS and PSF to Nafed and NCCF only after registering through a portal.
It further streamlines the process and makes it more transparent.
In the case of other crops that are procured through MSP such as wheat and rice, most states are now opting for pre-registering of farmers with full account details and land records through dedicated portals such as ‘meri-fasal-mera-byora’ in Haryana to ensure that only the actual farmer gets the benefit of MSP and not the traders or middlemen.
Centrally, too, the FCI is developing a platform where all such transactions can be tracked and traced to ensure transparency.
