Wednesday, Jul 1, 2020

NEW DELHI – The government is aiming to build pulses buffer of 1.95 mln tn in 2020-21 (Apr-Mar), an official release said today. Earlier, it aimed to create buffer of 1.6 mln tn. 

The buffer would consist of 1 mln tn of tur, 400,000 tn urad, 300,000 tn chana, 100,000 tn moong and 150,000 tn masur, the release said. Pulses, which were bought from farmers under price stabilisation fund would be used to create the buffer. 

As of Monday, pulses under the fund are over 1.08 mln tn and the legumes purchased under price support scheme are around 3.4 mln tn making the total available pulses with the government at 3.45 mln tn, the release said.        

NITI Aayog had earlier proposed to cap pulses buffer this year at around 1.65 mln tn but after contemplating over the proposal, the government realised that slashing the target may not be enough to soften prices when they rise in domestic markets, a senior government official said.

During the coronavirus pandemic the government is also distributing pulses under the Centre's flagship Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana.

Under the plan, the government provides 5 kg of wheat or rice and 1 kg of pulses every month to around 814 mln poor people for free. This is in addition to the 5 kg of subsidised rice or wheat that each beneficiary gets under National Food Security Act.

Pulses production in the country is at 23.01 mln tn in 2019-20 (Jul-Jun), up from 22.08 mln tn last year, according to the third advance estimates released by the farm ministry data.

End

Reported by Kaushal Verma

Edited by Maheswaran Parameswaran

Cogencis Tel +91 (11) 4220-1000

Send comments to feedback@cogencis.com