'India facing shortage of pulses, may import to meet demand'

New Delhi: India is facing a huge shortage of pulses, prices of which may increase by 10-15 percent ahead of the festival season, says an Assocham study.

As deficit monsoon rains have affected the yield in several producing states, the country may have to import over 10 million tonnes (MT) of pulses since the domestic production may be just 17 MT against the demand of 27 MT, it said.

Moreover, with festivals like Diwali soon, the demand for pulses would further shoot up and prices may rise by at least 10-15 per cent, it added.

Already, pulses are being sold at Rs 90-145/150 per kg with varying prices in different states depending on demand, it pointed out.

The consumption of pulses and cereals rise as its demand increases for preparing sweets and other delicacies in festivals from Diwali up to Christmas.

"With the lack of proper monsoons, there might be less production than usual. Import of pulses from other countries could be extremely expensive this year as grower countries, already facing a shortage of supply, have increased their selling rates," the study said.

The major pulse crops grown in India are Gram and Tur.

Gram, with a production of more than 7 MT, contributes more than 41 percent in the total pulses production of the country. Tur's production of 2.7 MT and a contribution of about 16 percent, is the second major pulses crop grown in India, the report said.

Other leading pulses grown in the country are Urad and Moong.

Major pulses producing states including Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh which together account for about 70 per cent of the country's total kharif pulses output.

These states may receive less rainfall affecting the output and prices, the report said, adding that during 2013-14, pulses worth USD 1.9 billion were imported.

In the following year, the import bill on account of pulses was USD 2.6 billion, showing an increase of 36.8 percent on year-over-year basis.

In the April-June period of the current fiscal, the country has already imported pulses worth USD 0.66 billion, it added.