India had reached out to countries such as Mozambique, Tanzania, Myanmar and Malawi to explore long-term contracts for supply of pulses last year when the prices had touched Rs 200 per kg. File photo
Import of pulses has taken a back seat after bumper production of lentils this year. Around this time last year, the Modi government was scurrying for cover as prices of pulses, a key protein source, were on a steady rise.
During his visits to Mozambique and Tanzania, Prime Minister Narendra Modi talked of enhanced exports and explored possibility of contract farming to meet the growing domestic demand for lentils.
“The biggest problem at present is procuring pulses grown domestically. We can think about import later,” Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Ramvilas Paswan told reporters here when asked about the status of the international cooperation in pulses sector.
India had reached out to countries such as Mozambique, Tanzania, Myanmar and Malawi to explore long-term contracts for supply of pulses last year when the prices had touched Rs 200 per kg.
But with the bumper production this year, the government has gone slow over imports and appears to be grappling with the glut in the market. It has already extended the last date for procurement of pulses by state-run agencies several times.
“We had decided to build 20 lakh tonnes of buffer stock of pulses – 10 lakh tonnes from domestic producers and 10 lakh tonnes through imports. Now, we have cut imports to three to four lakh tonnes,” Paswan said.
Pulses production is estimated to be 22.40 million tonnes in the 2016-17 crop year, as against 16.35 million tonnes last year. This would reduce the dependence on imports to some extent as demand-supply gap is approximately three million tonnes.
Another challenge before the government is disposal of the buffer stock as pulses have a relatively short shelf life of about two years.
The Centre is planning to sell some quantities of pulses from the buffer stock to the Defence and para-military forces as also to give it to the states.