Low yields strain pulses output: Pawar

NEW DELHI: The country has been facing a shortage of pulses and corrective steps are being taken, food and agriculture minister Sharad Pawar informed the Lok Sabha on Monday, while denying that the overall land under cultivation has reduced.

Wheat also had to be imported as there was a shortfall in its procurement during last year, Mr Pawar said, adding to correct the situation, the procurement rate has been increased.

Replying to another question, he said the country needs pulses as shortage was witnessed over the last few years. To make up for the shortfall, wheat worth Rs 2,346 crore was imported last year. Prior to that wheat worth Rs 1,700 crore was imported in 2004 and Rs 2,283 crore in 2003, he said.

The production of pulses has been going down as the area under its cultivation was shrinking, Mr Pawar said, adding that farmers were shifting to other crops because the yield of pulses is not sufficient.

The farm minister said research to develop new varieties of pulses was going on and in this regard, a variety has been developed which gives yield in less time and requires less water. The government is encouraging inter-cropping of short duration pulse crops, use of fallow lands and enhanced irrigation facilities besides implementing “integrated scheme on oilseeds, pulses, oil palm and maize (isopom),” he said.

Under the scheme, assistance is provided on 75:25 basis between the centre and state governments for production and distribution of seeds, provision of minikits and integrated pest management.

Meanwhile, the area under wheat crop during the on-going rabi sowing season rose by 10% till last week compared to the acreage during the same period last year.

Wheat acreage stood at 232.6 lakh hectare till Friday as against 210.6 lakh hectare last year, said the latest official updates of the agriculture ministry. However, wheat coverage is yet to reach the normal area of 260.5 lakh hectare. Wheat has been sown in 232.6 lakh hectare till now as against 210.6 lakh hectare covered in the same period last year.

Terming the crop condition as normal, the farm ministry update said the significantly higher coverage has been reported in Bihar, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

One of the leading wheat growing states Punjab reported a coverage of 33.2 lakh hectares till now compared to last year’s 32.9 lakh hectare. The normal area covered under wheat in the state stands at 34.3 lakh hectare.

Uttar Pradesh, the largest wheat-growing state, is still far away with 77.7 lakh hectare till now from normal acreage of 91.5 lakh hectare, the data showed. Compared to last year’s 69.3 lakh hectare, UP is, however, ahead in wheat sowing this year.

Haryana is expected to reach the normal coverage area of 23.1 lakh hectare as it has so far covered 23 lakh hectare. Another leading state is Madhya Pradesh where the normal wheat acreage is 37.3 lakh hectare. The state has reported an acreage of 35.6 lakh hectare till December 15 as against 30.9 lakh hectare reported last year.