After 11 years of ban on export of all types of pulses, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on Thursday gave its nod for lifting the ban including masoor and lentils following a bumper crop in 2016-17 and a carry-over stock of 6 million tonnes from imports done this and the last year. The ban on tur, urad and moong dals was lifted in September. With this decision, the ceiling on the export of kabuli chana will also go.
The opening of the export of pulses will help the farmers to get remunerative prices and encourage them to expand sowing area in coming season. Besides, farmers would be free to export their pulses to get better prices from the market. Export of pulses would provide an alternative market for the surplus production of pulses, and it will also help the country and its exporters regain markets.
At present, arhar is ruling at Rs 75 a kg in Delhi as against Rs 140 a kg last year in the retail market. Similarly, chana is being sold at Rs 120 a kg and masoor is at Rs 100 a kg. The rate of moong dal is Rs 130 a kg.
The ban was imposed in 2006 when the domestic output of pulses had dipped and the prices of pulses had shot up. In the current Kharif season ended in October this year, pulses were sown in less area as compared to the last year as the State Governments have failed to procure them at the
minimum support price from farmers.
According to Agriculture Ministry officials, the move will help farmers get better prices for their produce. This step will improve the returns to farmers and potentially open up greater investments in the sector. As per data, the country's pulses production has touched a record of 23 million ton in 2016-17 crop year (July-June) as against 16.35 million ton in the previous year on account of encouragement from the Government. The Government has procured 20 lakh tons of pulses by ensuring minimum support price or market rates, whichever is higher, directly from the farmers and this has been the highest ever procurement of pulses.
The production of pulses in 2016-17 has been very encouraging and is the highest ever to date. The domestic production of pulses during 2016-17 was 22.95 million tonnes. The chana dal (Gram) production was 9.33 million tonnes as compared to 7.06 million tonnes in 2015-16 showing a growth of 32 percent. The production of other rabi pulses (includes masoor dal (lentil) etc.) for 2016-17 was 3.02 million tonnes as compared to 2.47 million tonnes in 2015-16 showing a growth of 22 percent. For the year 2017-18, the Government has fixed a target of 22.90 million tonnes of pulses production.
"It is expected that pulses production will be sustained in the country and our import dependence on pulses will come down substantially. This is also likely to provide higher levels of protein to the population and work towards nutritional security. The integration with the global supply chain is also likely to help our farmers in adopting good agricultural practices and better productivity," said officials of Agriculture Ministry.