Rs 300 cr boost to pulses production positive step: Pulses Importers Association

AHMEDABAD: With an outlay of Rs 300 crore to promote 60,000 pulses villages in rainfed areas for increasing crop productivity and strengthening market linkages, the Finance Minister has given a drop of water in the ocean for a country with a population of 1.6 billion people feel industry officials.

Pulses Importers Association President, Praveen Dongre said that the government was waking up to the grave situation. "The step is in the right direction for the long run. We have to see how and where the funds will be given. This year thanks to the good weather and rain we expect a bumper production. The core issue remain that productivity has to increase as area under tillage is not going to increase,"he said.

India imports over 3 million tonne pulses with a production of over 14 million tonne as per industry estimate and 17 million tonne as per governement estimate.Import of pulses is largely taking place from Burma, African countries like Malawi, Tanzania, Mozambique. Toor and Urad are the major pulses being imported.

Atul Chaturvedi, chief executive officer, Adani Wilmar Ltd said," Farmer is an intelligent animal and he has his own priority. With fight for acreage and better returns in oilseed farmers are not opting for pulses. We need to tweak our land laws to envolve corporate to increase production apart from ensuring MSP for pulses,"he said.