Pulses importers seek parity with public sector
The Pulses Importers Association has asked the government to extend the 15% import subsidy being given to the public sector agencies to private traders. Imports are down 20%-30% over the past seven months.
By NIDHI SHARMA, TNN |
MUMBAI: The Pulses Importers Association has asked the government to extend the 15% import subsidy being given to the public sector agencies to private traders. Imports are down 20%-30% over the past seven months, the association said.
In a letter to the consumer affairs ministry, the association said that imports by private traders have come down and prices at which the pulses have been purchased by the PSUs are not at par with the private importers.
Private traders imported about 2m tonnes of pulses till December 2006, and the importers fear that the amount could fall to 1 mt by December 2007. Association president K C Bhartiya said, "The subsidy should be extended to private traders for regular imports."
The government in April instructed public sector agencies — STC, MMTC, PEC and NAFED — to import 15 lakh tonnes of pulses by end-2007, at which time they were also granted the subsidy.
Consumer affairs secretary Y S Bhave told ET that they have not yet received the request from the private importers. He said that PSUs have contracted 10 lakh tonnes of pulses of which 2.5 lakh tonnes have arrived and 6.5 lakh tonnes will arrive during the festival season.
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Commenting on low arrivals of the imported pulses, Nafed MD Alok Ranjan said most agencies (other than Nafed) have contracted yellow peas that arrive in October, and so the overall imports have been delayed.Meanwhile prices of pulses in the international market have gone up against domestic prices. Jalgaon-based miller and vice-president of Association of Pulses Manufacturers Exporters Gopal Kogta said prices in the domestic market have come down mostly because of slack demand.
Prices of pulses ex-Jalgaon factory for urad and moong have come down by 15% as new crop will arrive by August 15. The price of urad and moong pulse is at Rs 3,300 per quintal, chana is at Rs 2,900, masoor is at Rs 3,100 while tur is trading at Rs 3,650.
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