Import of pulses increased by 20 percent to above 3.71 lakh tonnes in April-May
13-Jun-2024 01:44 PM
New Delhi. To meet the increasing demand and need in the domestic sector, there is a need to import huge quantities of pulses from abroad.
During the entire period of the financial year 2022-23, 25.30 lakh tonnes of pulses were imported into the country, which jumped 84 percent to a high of 46.50 lakh tonnes in the financial year 2023-24. The level of imports is likely to remain even higher in the current financial year.
According to official data, in the first two months of the current financial year i.e. during April-May 2024, the import of pulses in the country increased to 3,71,334 tonnes,
which is about 20 percent more than the import of 2,08,619 tonnes in April-May 2023. A senior official has admitted that due to the decline in domestic production and strong demand, the price of tur (pigeon pea) and urad has increased and hence it is necessary to increase its import from abroad.
The domestic production of urad is estimated to fall from 26 lakh tonnes in the 2022-23 season to around 18 lakh tonnes in the 2023-24 season.
Although the government has estimated the production of tur to be 33-34 lakh tonnes, which is almost equal to the 2022-23 season,
but industry-trade analysts believe that its actual production did not exceed 27-28 lakh tonnes, which is very less in the annual domestic demand and consumption of about 45 lakh tonnes.
Due to its import being limited, there is an imbalance in demand and supply. For the last two years, due to adverse weather and natural disasters,
a decline has been observed in the domestic production of pulses. Last year, due to the El Nino weather cycle, there was lack of monsoon rains and the weather remained hot and dry for a long time, which badly affected the pulse crop.
The sowing of pulses during Kharif season remained moist and a decline was also recorded in the sowing area of gram in Rabi season.
At present, huge imports of urad and tuvar from Myanmar, tuvar from African countries, lentils from Canada and Australia and yellow peas from Russia and Canada are being done.