Increase in import of pulses due to increase in demand and decrease in production

31-Jul-2024 02:50 PM

New Delhi. Although the domestic production of pulses increased from 163.23 lakh tonnes in the 2015-16 season to 244.93 lakh tonnes (according to the third advance estimate) in the 2023-24 season, it remained far behind the demand and requirement.

As a result, heavy imports of pulses from abroad continued in the country. The interesting fact is that there is also limited export of pulses from India.

According to official data, during the financial year 2021-22, about 27 lakh tonnes of pulses were imported in India, which after decreasing slightly to 25 lakh tonnes in 2022-23, jumped to around 47.40 lakh tonnes in the financial year 2023-24. On the other hand,

the export of pulses from the country jumped from 3.87 lakh tonnes in 2021-22 to a peak of 7.62 lakh tonnes in 2022-23 and after that declined slightly to 5.94 lakh tonnes in 2023-24.

According to the Union Minister of State for Agriculture, the Department of Agriculture implements the Price Support Scheme under the Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan (PM- ASHA) and then purchases some notified pulses, oilseeds and copra from farmers at the Minimum Support Price (MSP). Earlier,

under the Price Support Scheme, the rule of purchasing a maximum of 25 percent of the total quantity of pulses produced in a state was applicable,

but this limit was abolished for the purchase of tur, urad and lentil for the financial years 2023-24 and 2024-25. This will give farmers an opportunity to sell their entire surplus stock of pulses at the support price and encourage them to increase production.

To increase the production of food grains including pulses, the Department of Agriculture is implementing the National Food Security Mission in 28 states and 2 union territories of the country. Apart from this, crop diversification program is also being run.