Higher MSP, import curbs help moong acreage surpass last year's level

Some traders said the sowing trend clearly shows that farmers feel zero-duty imports could hurt their realisations in the coming months while it might not be the case with moong

Moong has become a standout crop in terms of acreage this kharif season compared to urad and tur or arhar, which, many traders said, could be correlated to the crop’s good procurement by state agencies, higher minimum support price (MSP), and also policies on imports. 

While areas under arhar and urad — the other major pulses grown during kharif season — are both trailing (as of August 1) compared to last year by 6.6 per cent and 2.1 per cent, respectively, acreage under moong is almost 3.2 per cent more than last year’s level. 

Moong imports into India are restricted