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Industry bats for PDS system to ensure good prices for pulses
Binny Sharma
New Delhi
PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION system (PDS) would ensure that farmers producing pulses in the country will get right procurement price, said a top official on Tuesday.
Currently, pulses are being sold at a minimum support price (MSP) across the country. “The farmers thus facing the loss, tend to switch their production to other crops in a bid to get better returns. This has led to importing the pulses from other countries due to less production,” said Sudhakar Tomar, member, convention committee of International Pulses Trade and Industry Confederation (CICILS-IPTIC) on Tuesday.
“We in India consume pulses to the tune of 21 lakh million tonne per annum while the production is only 17 million tonne. To balance the requirement, we import pulses from other countries,” said Tomar, while announcing about the forthcoming annual global pulse convention to be held at Dubai from April 21 to 24.
“Apart from being the largest producer and consumer of pulses in the world, India has also the highest area under pulses cultivation.
"However the yield is merely 650 tonne per hectare, as compared to other countries with more than 1000 tonne", said Anurag Tulshan, member executive committee-CICILS IPTIC & India Pulses and Grain Association.
He added that though last fiscal pulse production grew to 17 million tonne in the country, this year it will either remain same or might slightlycome down. “We witnessed a bumper crop last year as pulse production jumped from an yield of 14 million tonne to 17 million tonne,” he added.
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"The farmers thus facing the loss, tend to switch their production to other crops in a bid to get better returns”
SUDHAKAR TOMAR,
International Pulses Trade and Industry Confederation |
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Further talking about the forthcoming annual global convention in Dubai, he said that the conference will give chance to stakeholder of the pulses industry to meet, network, exchange ideas, conduct business and chart the strategy for the future. “ India, by the virtue of being the largest producer, consumer and importer of pulses, is a very strong stakeholder in the world pulses trade. We are looking forward to a large number of individual and corporate participants from India,” he said.
The 2012 Annual Global Convention will see the participation of over 1,000 delegates from more than 600 companies from over 50 countries as well as 50 exhibitors. Large agri-businesses, exporters, importers, traders, brokers, intermediaries, government agencies, trade promotion bodies and allied industries such as insurance, companies, banks, fumigation companies, crop protection, machinery suppliers, etc. are expected to participate in the Convention.
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