However, due to early withdrawal of monsoon and lack of winter rains in some pulses growing states, particularly Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh in 1999, production is expected to decline to about 13.6 MMT in 1999-2000. The growth in pulses production has not kept pace with the population growth, resulting in an overall decline in per capita availability and generally higher prices for pulses. Pulses are Chick peas, green peas, Lentils. The prices in the domestic market fluctuate according to the demand and supply. Generally, the prices drop when the new crop comes in the market.
Pulses are an important source of protein in the Indian diet.
As mentioned above, production growth has not been able to keep pace with the population growth and, as a consequence, India's per capita net availability of pulses has come down to 36.0 grams per day as compared with around 70.0 grams in the sixties. Although particular varieties of Pulses are preferred in different parts of the country, food habits are easily changed according to availability of pulses. In many cases, importer is also a wholesaler who has offices in more than one city. The Indian Government continues to permit private trade to import pulses without any licensing restrictions to supplement domestic availability, and, in order to control the prices of pulses in the domestic market, it increases or decreases the import duty. Phyto-sanitary certificate that the 'plants and plant products described in the shipping documents have been inspected according to appropriate procedures and are considered to be free from quarantine pests, and practically free from other injurious pests, and that they are considered to conform with the current phytosanitary regulations of the importing country', issued by a competent authority must accompany each shipment.