Pulses/ lentils (dal): India

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India is by and large a vegetarian country. Recently released NSSO data shows that only 27% of urban and 22% of rural households consumed chicken. Fish was consumed by 21% of urban and 27% of rural households. Mutton was consumed by even fewer people. Thus, for a large majority of Indians, pulses are the major source of proteins. Yet, while the per capita net availability of cereals like rice and wheat is significantly higher today than soon after Independence, availability of pulses is sharply lower, though a little higher than the lowest point reached in 2001
 
India is by and large a vegetarian country. Recently released NSSO data shows that only 27% of urban and 22% of rural households consumed chicken. Fish was consumed by 21% of urban and 27% of rural households. Mutton was consumed by even fewer people. Thus, for a large majority of Indians, pulses are the major source of proteins. Yet, while the per capita net availability of cereals like rice and wheat is significantly higher today than soon after Independence, availability of pulses is sharply lower, though a little higher than the lowest point reached in 2001
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=2015: Price rise=
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[http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31808&articlexml=Why-pulses-are-on-fire-Indias-food-math-17102015018025 ''The Times of India''],
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Oct 17 2015
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[[File: The production, import and export of pulses, 2010-15.jpg| The production, import and export of pulses, 2010-15; Graphic courtesy: [http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31808&articlexml=Why-pulses-are-on-fire-Indias-food-math-17102015018025 ''The Times of India''],
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Oct 17 2015|frame|500px]]
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Subodh Varma
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'''Why pulses are on fire: India's food math explained'''
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Where does a 12% decline translate as a 100% increase? In the bizarre world of India's food math. Production of pulses slipped down by 12% in 2014-15 compared to the previous year. As a result, prices of this essential item have zoomed up by more than 100% across the country . The government is scrambling to retrieve the situation, especially because an important election is being fought in Bihar and the festive season is just beginning. It's a kind of an onion moment -where merciless spikes in onion prices in the past led to political upheavals.
 +
But why are pulses on fire? Here are the basics: India consumes around 23 million metric tonnes (MMT) of pulses. This is an aggregate of a variety of pulses including gram (chana), tur or arhar, mung, masur and urad.Pulses are the main source of protein for a very large number of people in the country -each 100 grams contain about 32 grams of proteins and several amino acids not made by the body . So, it is an essential part of Indian meals. Naturally , India is the largest producer and consumer of pulses in the world.
 +
But India's production of pulses has stagnated at around 18-19 MMT for several years now. The shortfall between production and consumption is made up by imports, mainly from Canada, Myanmar and some African countries. This balance has been maintained at a huge cost to the people. A population growing at the rate of about 2% per year in the past decade should have quickly overtaken the pulses rate of growth which was less than half of that. This has not happened because the amount of pulses consumed per person has relentlessly declined over the past several decades.From about 61 grams per person per day in 1951 to about 42 grams in 2013.
 +
The balance this year has been rudely and dramatically upset. In 2014-15, production of pulses was clocked in at 17.4 MMT -a decline of 2.4 MMT or 12% over the previous year. This was caused by various factors including unseasonal rains, pests, and unprofitable prices offered to farmers even as import duties were waived.
 +
This decline appears to have been seized as an opportunity to make a quick killing by traders -both domestic and global. There are reports of pulses stocks lying in warehouses at ports as traders wait it out and allow shortages to pump up prices even more. And, exporters in touch with producers from Canada (mainly lentil or masur), Myanmar (mainly tur) and Australia (mainly chickpeas or Kabuli chana) have hiked up the rates because India is the biggest player in the pulses import market.
 +
So, in 2014-15, India has imported 4.6 MMT pulses, up by 31% compared to the pre vious year. International prices have risen in tandem from Rs 32 per kg to Rs 50 for chana, from Rs 56 to Rs 75 for lentil, from Rs 40 to Rs 90 for tur, and from Rs 50 to Rs 77 for urad between October 2014 and August 2015, according to the latest agriculture ministry profile.
 +
The government on its part is tinkering around at the periphery by ordering about 7000 metric tonnes of pulses in the international market and “invoking“ the Rs 500 crore price stabilization fund to subsidise transport of pulses stocks from ports to retailers. In a country that consumes over 6000 metric tonnes of pulses every day , this can hardly be expected to bring down prices.
 +
Experts have called for a new impetus to pulses production with new seeds, better pest control, better support prices and a much better organised market so that the future expected requirement of pulses can be met. Otherwise India faces a protein famine in the coming years.
 +
`Dal price rise due to shortage in global mkt'
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The government on Friday attributed the sharp rise in prices of pulses to shortage in the global market and increased prices across the major producing countries. Minister of state for agriculture Sanjeev Balyan said less production last year led to the gap between availability and demand. The agriculture ministry officials refuted charges of delay on their part in importing arhar and urad. Balyan said starting the next harvest season (from November), the government will buy 40,000 tonnes of pulses from farmers to create a buffer stock to control prices. Dipak Dash
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''' Right steps can rein in onion prices: Niti '''
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Niti Aayog has suggested that the volatility in onion prices can be managed through appropriate mechanism and intervention as past price trends show a clear pattern in price spikes and high prices rule only for a few months. NitiAayog member Ramesh Chand said, “These measures include enhancing of storage infrastructure, stocking of onion by central agencies like Nafed, state-level entities and public parastatals .“
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The Aayog also slammed previous governments for ineffective response. Chand said, “Till recently, any abnormal rise in onion price was attributed to unfavourable weather and exploitation of situation by traders and so called cartelization, hoarding etc and it was forgotten when prices rolled back to normal.“

Revision as of 20:08, 24 October 2015

This is a collection of articles archived for the excellence of their content.

Fading pulse?

Pulse/ lentil production in India: The Times of India
Sep 05 2014

India is by and large a vegetarian country. Recently released NSSO data shows that only 27% of urban and 22% of rural households consumed chicken. Fish was consumed by 21% of urban and 27% of rural households. Mutton was consumed by even fewer people. Thus, for a large majority of Indians, pulses are the major source of proteins. Yet, while the per capita net availability of cereals like rice and wheat is significantly higher today than soon after Independence, availability of pulses is sharply lower, though a little higher than the lowest point reached in 2001

2015: Price rise

The Times of India, Oct 17 2015

The production, import and export of pulses, 2010-15; Graphic courtesy: The Times of India, Oct 17 2015

Subodh Varma

Why pulses are on fire: India's food math explained

Where does a 12% decline translate as a 100% increase? In the bizarre world of India's food math. Production of pulses slipped down by 12% in 2014-15 compared to the previous year. As a result, prices of this essential item have zoomed up by more than 100% across the country . The government is scrambling to retrieve the situation, especially because an important election is being fought in Bihar and the festive season is just beginning. It's a kind of an onion moment -where merciless spikes in onion prices in the past led to political upheavals. But why are pulses on fire? Here are the basics: India consumes around 23 million metric tonnes (MMT) of pulses. This is an aggregate of a variety of pulses including gram (chana), tur or arhar, mung, masur and urad.Pulses are the main source of protein for a very large number of people in the country -each 100 grams contain about 32 grams of proteins and several amino acids not made by the body . So, it is an essential part of Indian meals. Naturally , India is the largest producer and consumer of pulses in the world. But India's production of pulses has stagnated at around 18-19 MMT for several years now. The shortfall between production and consumption is made up by imports, mainly from Canada, Myanmar and some African countries. This balance has been maintained at a huge cost to the people. A population growing at the rate of about 2% per year in the past decade should have quickly overtaken the pulses rate of growth which was less than half of that. This has not happened because the amount of pulses consumed per person has relentlessly declined over the past several decades.From about 61 grams per person per day in 1951 to about 42 grams in 2013. The balance this year has been rudely and dramatically upset. In 2014-15, production of pulses was clocked in at 17.4 MMT -a decline of 2.4 MMT or 12% over the previous year. This was caused by various factors including unseasonal rains, pests, and unprofitable prices offered to farmers even as import duties were waived. This decline appears to have been seized as an opportunity to make a quick killing by traders -both domestic and global. There are reports of pulses stocks lying in warehouses at ports as traders wait it out and allow shortages to pump up prices even more. And, exporters in touch with producers from Canada (mainly lentil or masur), Myanmar (mainly tur) and Australia (mainly chickpeas or Kabuli chana) have hiked up the rates because India is the biggest player in the pulses import market. So, in 2014-15, India has imported 4.6 MMT pulses, up by 31% compared to the pre vious year. International prices have risen in tandem from Rs 32 per kg to Rs 50 for chana, from Rs 56 to Rs 75 for lentil, from Rs 40 to Rs 90 for tur, and from Rs 50 to Rs 77 for urad between October 2014 and August 2015, according to the latest agriculture ministry profile. The government on its part is tinkering around at the periphery by ordering about 7000 metric tonnes of pulses in the international market and “invoking“ the Rs 500 crore price stabilization fund to subsidise transport of pulses stocks from ports to retailers. In a country that consumes over 6000 metric tonnes of pulses every day , this can hardly be expected to bring down prices. Experts have called for a new impetus to pulses production with new seeds, better pest control, better support prices and a much better organised market so that the future expected requirement of pulses can be met. Otherwise India faces a protein famine in the coming years. `Dal price rise due to shortage in global mkt' The government on Friday attributed the sharp rise in prices of pulses to shortage in the global market and increased prices across the major producing countries. Minister of state for agriculture Sanjeev Balyan said less production last year led to the gap between availability and demand. The agriculture ministry officials refuted charges of delay on their part in importing arhar and urad. Balyan said starting the next harvest season (from November), the government will buy 40,000 tonnes of pulses from farmers to create a buffer stock to control prices. Dipak Dash

Right steps can rein in onion prices: Niti

Niti Aayog has suggested that the volatility in onion prices can be managed through appropriate mechanism and intervention as past price trends show a clear pattern in price spikes and high prices rule only for a few months. NitiAayog member Ramesh Chand said, “These measures include enhancing of storage infrastructure, stocking of onion by central agencies like Nafed, state-level entities and public parastatals .“

The Aayog also slammed previous governments for ineffective response. Chand said, “Till recently, any abnormal rise in onion price was attributed to unfavourable weather and exploitation of situation by traders and so called cartelization, hoarding etc and it was forgotten when prices rolled back to normal.“

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