India set to import tur dal from Africa amid high domestic prices

PUNE: India is set to import tur (pigeon pea) in record quantity from Africa in the coming months as domestic prices have increased 46 per cent in Delhi over the past six months, show consumer affairs ministry data.

"We may import about 3.5 lakh tonnes of tur from Africa in the next three-and-a-half months," said Bimal Kothari, vice-chairman of Indian Pulses and Grains' Association. The figure is more than double the highest quantity of 1.5 lakh tonnes of tur that India has imported in a year from Africa, he said.




Myanmar is the main source of import of tur in India, accounting for half of the commodity brought in from overseas. "However, the Myanmar crop is fast getting ex hausted while Africa's crop harvest has begun," said Kothari.Tanzania, Mozambique, Malawi and Sudan are the countries supplying tur to India. Tur from Myanmar is preferred over African tur owing to its larger size.

The fourth advance estimate of food grain production pegs output of pulses this year at 172 lakh tonnes, representing a deficit of 20.5 lakh tonnes over previous year's figure. As per the third advance estimate, India's tur production declined 14.5 per cent in 2014-15 to 27.10 lakh tonnes.

The fall in domestic production reflected in increased import of pulses in the country . As per the government data updated in July , import of pulses into India increased 25 per cent in 2014-15 to 45.84 lakh tonnes. Import of tur increased 23.65 per cent during the year.

Tur accounts for 15 per cent of the total pulses production in India. Domestic prices of tur have been higher than the international prices over the past three years.The landed cost of imported tur is about Rs 20 per kg less than the prevailing prices in the domestic markets. The whole bean prices in Karnataka and Maharashtra are at a record high of Rs 90 per kg. The current prices are about 38 per cent more than the earlier high of Rs 65 per kg in 2009.