India may import pulses from Myanmar, African nations

At a review meeting convened by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley here, it was decided to boost supply by increasing buffer stocks and imports.

The Centre may look to Myanmar and Africa to import lentils and pulses, it is learnt. India has already submitted a draft agreement for import of tur from Myanmar via the government route.

Many African nations have also evinced interest in supplying lentils to India.

“The Finance Minister said imports via public and private agencies should be strengthened to meet the deficit,” Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan told newspersons after the meeting. He added that the demand-supply gap of about 7.6 million tonnes of pulses was being met by imports and local procurement to create a buffer stock of 1.5 lakh tonnes this year.

It is not only the runaway increase in prices of pulses, which have soared to as much as ₹170/kg, that has hurt the aam aadmi; even vegetable prices have shot up in recent weeks.

Tomato prices in most retail markets have doubled to ₹80-100/kg in the last fortnight due to sluggish supply owing to crop damage. Potato prices have also been on the rise.

Besides Paswan, the high-level meeting was attended by Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh, Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu.

Discussions involved releasing more pulses from the buffer stock whenever there is a demand from the States. However, Paswan passed some of the blame for high prices to the States.

“If prices rise despite this move, the Centre is not responsible. In a federal structure, States have equal responsibility in controlling prices,” he said, adding that the Centre had created a buffer stock, but “not many States had shown interest.”

Against this year’s procurement target of 1.5 lakh tonnes of pulses for buffer stocks, 1.15 lakh tonnes has been purchased, he added.