Pulse buffer stock low in India: Only 49% of target achieved

26-Apr-2025 01:32 PM

Pulse buffer stock low in India: Only 49% of target achieved  
★ Chana and urad stocks critically low
★ According to sources, as of April 2025, the government holds only 17.2 lakh tonnes of pulses in stock, against the buffer stock target of 35 lakh tonnes — achieving just 49% of the goal.
Crop-wise status:  
★ Tuar (Arhar): 3.9 lakh tonnes in stock against a requirement of 10 lakh tonnes, meeting only 39% of the buffer target.  
★ Moong: 7 lakh tonnes available against a buffer requirement of just 1 lakh tonne — 700% of the target.  
★ Urad: Only 0.06 lakh tonnes in stock against a need of 4 lakh tonnes, meeting just 1.5% of the requirement.  
★ Masur (Lentil): 6 lakh tonnes in stock against a 10 lakh tonnes requirement.  
★ Chana (Gram): Just 0.31 lakh tonnes available against a standard of 10 lakh tonnes — only 3.1% of the target.
Sharp decline in pulse procurement:  
★ Government procurement of pulses under the PSS scheme has significantly dropped over the past few years:  
★ In 2019-20, procurement stood at 28.54 lakh tonnes.  
★ It fell to 8.17 lakh tonnes in 2020-21.  
★ In 2021-22, procurement rose again to 30.3 lakh tonnes.  
★ In 2022-23, it was 28.31 lakh tonnes.  
★ However, in 2023-24, procurement drastically fell to just 6.9 lakh tonnes — a major decline.
Challenges ahead:  
★ The low buffer stock levels pose a major challenge for the government. If the stock is not replenished quickly, authorities may be forced to further ease import restrictions to stabilize domestic prices and ensure sufficient supply.