NEW DELHI: As rise in price of pulses and fall in production of chana (bengal gram) remain a concern, govt is looking at importing 11 lakh tonne of chana from Australia soon. This will be in addition to the import of 16 lakh tonne of yellow peas used as substitute of chana in the past six months since govt did away with the import duty.
Sources said govt has sounded out Australia about the plan to import more chana in the next few months to increase availability and check prices.Chana has 50% share in pulse production in the country and is widely consumed. Reduction in availability of chana impacts the prices of other pulses.
As per consumer affairs ministry data, the average retail prices of chana has increased from Rs 74.7 per kg a year back to Rs 85.8 on June 13 and on Wednesday it stood at Rs 87.6 per kg. Price of tur dal has also increased by around 27% in the past one year, from Rs 126.4 a kg to Rs 160.3 on Wednesday. Similarly, urad dal price has increased by 13.5% in the past one year. However, there is a minor rise in retail prices of masur dal.
Trade sources said govt’s intention to import more chana from Australia has sent the right signal to growers there and this will result in an increase in seeding this year.
As per the agriculture ministry estimate, gram production in the 2023-24 crop year (July-June) is estimated at 116 lakh tonne, lower than previous year’s 123 lakh tonne. But traders expect the actual harvest to be lower.
Fall in pulses production and increased consumption has resulted in import of more pulses during the current financial year. Sources said the import has increased to 3.7 lakh tonne in the past two months compared to 3.1 lakh tonne during the corresponding period last year.