January 18, 2012

 

India's 2011-12 pulses output may drop 10%

 

 

The pulses harvest for India is forecast to fall 10% in the current crop year ending June 30, a senior industry executive said Tuesday (Jan 17).

 

This is due to lower acreage as well as low soil moisture in some key regions that grow chickpea, the country's largest pulse crop.

 

India, the world's largest producer and consumer of pulses, produced a record 18.1 million tonnes in 2010-11.

 

Chickpea accounts for 45% of the total crop.

 

Dry weather during the peak sowing months of October and November in the western state of Maharashtra and southern India is going to hit the chickpea crop, Pravin Dongre, stated president of the India Pulses and Grains Association.

 

A lower crop may force the south Asian country to import more pulses to meet its requirement of about 20 million tonnes of the protein-rich staples a year. India is estimated to have imported 2.75 million tonnes in 2010-11, from countries such as Canada, Myanmar, the US, France, Australia and Turkey.

 

Maharashtra and southern Indian states such as Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka account for about a third of the country's chickpea output.

 

Dongre said some farmers have shifted from chickpea to wheat, which provided better returns, affecting production prospects of pulses.

 

However, the crop of winter-sown pulses in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, northwestern state of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh in North is likely to be normal, he said.

 

The expected production fall is unlikely to increase local prices immediately as there were sufficient stocks, he said, dismissing concerns that it may drive up food inflation just when prices have started cooling.