Lok Sabha Question No. 2890 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-03-15
Subject: Import of Pulses
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT, SANJAY JAISWAL, SUSHMITA DEV, CHANDRAKANT RAGHUNATH PATIL, KRISTAPPA NIMMALA, JYOTIRADITYA MADHAVRAO SCINDIA, RAVINDRA VISHWANATH GAIKWAD, V. PANNEER SELVAM, VISHNU DAYAL RAM

## Government of India

## Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Department of Consumer Affairs

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2890

TO BE ANSWERED ON 15.03.2016

## IMPORT OF PULSES

2890.  SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT:

DR. SANJAY JAISWAL:

KUMARI SUSHMITA DEV:

SHRI C.R. PATIL:

SHRI NIMMALA KRISTAPPA:

SHRI JYOTIRADITYA M.SCINDIA:

PROF. RAVINDRA VISHWANATH GAIKWAD:

SHRI V. PANNEERSELVAM:

SHRI VISHNU DAYAL RAM:

## (OIH)

## Will  the  Minister  of  CONSUMER  AFFAIRS,  FOOD  AND  PUBLIC  DISTRIBUTION miHkksDrk ekeys] [kk| vkSj lkoZtfud forj.k ea=h be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  proposes  to  import  pulses  to  meet  the  increasing  demand  and  check prices, if so, the details thereof indicating the production, demand and import during the last three years and the estimates for the ensuing year;
- (b) whether the Government maintains any buffer stock of pulses to hedge against any uprecedented decline in production, if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether most of the States have not lifted imported pulses offered by the Government at subsidised prices  which  are  still  lying  in  the  central  pool,  if  so,  the  details  thereof  indicating  the  quantum imported, offered and lifted by the States, State-wise;
- (d) whether  some  traders  have  reportedly  formed  cartels  purchasing  and  hoarding  pulses  abroad thereby  jacking  up  the  prices,  if  so,  the  details  thereof  and  the  remedial  steps,  including  action against such importers/hoarders, being taken in this regard; and
- (e) the other steps being taken to improve production and availability of pulses?

## ANSWER

## miHkksDrk ekeys] [kk| vkSj lkoZtfud forj.k ea=ky; ea=h ¼Jh jke foykl ikloku½

## THE MINISTER FOR CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

(SHRI RAM VILAS PASWAN)

- (a) & (b) : Yes, Madam. The Government has taken a decision to create a buffer stock of 1.5 lakh tonnes of pulses through both domestic procurement and imports to improve domestic availability and stabilise prices. The requisite details are at Annexure-I .
- (c) :  No, Madam. The imported Tur has been allocated after mutual consultation and also based on specific requirement of the States.  The details are given at Annexure-II .
- (d) : There have been reports that some private importers did attempt forming cartels and cornering stocks of certain pulses in producer countries with an objective of delaying their arrival in India, thereby increasing  its  prices.  Domestic  searches  and  surveys  have  been  conducted  on  a  number  of  importers, traders and financiers engaged in pulses trade. A Group of Officers has been set up for regular monitoring and exchange of information on hoarding, cartelization etc. to facilitate coordinated action.
- (e) : The requisite details are at Annexure-IIII .

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ANNEXURE-I STATEMENT REFERRED IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) & (b) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2890 FOR 15.03.2016 REGARDING IMPORT OF PULSES.

- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Production, Demand and Import of Pulses (In Million MT)

| Year             |   2012-13 |   2013-14 |   2014-15 | 2015-16   |
|------------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
| Production( MMT) |     18.34 |     19.25 |     17.15 | 17.33     |
| Imports(MMT)     |      3.84 |      3.53 |      4.58 | 5.55*     |
| Demand (MMT)     |     20.9  |     21.77 |     22.68 | 23.66     |

* Up to March 1, 2016

Source:- Niti Ayog ; 2 nd Advance Estimastes,2015-16; D/o Commerce

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## ANNEXURE-II

## STATEMENT  REFERRED  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (c)  OF  LOK  SABHA  UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2890 FOR 15.03.2016 REGARDING IMPORT OF PULSES.

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## Allocation/Distribution of Imported Tur by Government

| Sl.No.   | State/Agency                  | Allocation(MT)    | Lifted(MT)   |
|----------|-------------------------------|-------------------|--------------|
| 1        | Andhra Pradesh                | 1872              | 1872         |
| 2        | Tamil Nadu                    | 1105              | 1000         |
| 3        | Telangana                     | 800               | 500          |
| 4        | Odisha                        | 300               | Nil          |
| 5        | Uttar Pradesh                 | 500               | 500          |
| 6        | Manipur                       | 395               | Nil          |
| 7        | Delhi                         | 300               | 300          |
| 7        | Mother Dairy Kendriya Bhandar | 500               | 250          |
| 8        |                               | (i) Total lifted  | 4422         |
|          |                               | (ii) Total Import | 4927         |
|          |                               | (iii) Balance     | 505          |

Note: The imports were channelised through the Metals & Minerals Trading Corporation (MMTC), Department of Commerce.

*****

## STATEMENT  REFERRED  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (e)  OF  LOK  SABHA  UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2890 FOR 15.03.2016 REGARDING IMPORT OF PULSES.

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## A) Steps taken to improve production of pulses

-  Government  has  been  implementing  several  Crop  Development  Schemes/Programmes  such  as National  Food  Security  Mission-Pulses  (NFSM-Pulses),  Rashtriya  Krishi  Vikas  Yojana  (RKVY), Macro Management of Agriculture (MMA) and Integrated Scheme of Oilseeds, Pulses, Oil Palm  & Maize (ISOPOM).
-  National  Food  Security  Mission  has  been  strengthened  from  1.4.2010  with  the  merger  of  pulses component of ISOPOM. In addition, a new programme 'Accelerated Pulses Production Programme (A3P)' has been started under NFSM since 2010-11 to take up active propagation of key technologies in the form of block demonstrations for improving productivity of pulses.
-  Further, a Special Plan to achieve more than 19 million tonnes of pulse production during 2012-13 has also been initiated, and  pulses have also been included under Bringing Green Revolution in Eastern India  (BGREI)  from  2015-16  as  part  of  demonstrations  under  cropping  systems  based  approach  to target rice fallow areas
-  To encourage farmers to grow more pulses by ensuring remunerative prices, the Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) of pulses have also been increased over the years.
-  Research  institutes  like  ICAR,  IIPR,  SAUs  besides  ICARDA  and  ICRISAT  are  making  efforts  to evolve better varieties of pulses.

## B) Steps take to improve availability of pulses

-  Export of all pulses is banned except kabuli channa and up to 10,000 MTs in organic pulses and lentils
-  Import of pulses are allowed at zero import duty.
-  Stock limit on pulses extended till 30.9.2016.
-  Government imported 5000 MT of Tur from Malawi/Mozambique and allocated it to States for retail sale to consumers to improve availability and to moderate prices.
-  Government  has  approved  creation  of  buffer  stock  of  1.5  lakh  MT  of  pulses  for  effective  market intervention.

*****