Question : Import of Pulses

(a) the total quantity of pulses imported into the country during the last three years and the current year along with the rates at which pulses have been imported during the said period;
(b) whether the Government proposes to import pulses to cater to the domestic demand and if so, the details thereof along with the scheme, if any, prepared to check the prices of pulses;
(c) whether there are any Government-to-Government agreements to import pulses from other countries and if so, the details of such agreements entered into during the said period and those which are proposed;
(d) the reasons for not having buffer stock policy for pulses in the country as we have for paddy and wheat;
(e) the details of MSP and bonus given to various kinds of pulses during the period year-wise, rabi and kharif crop-wise and variety-wise; and
(f) whether there are any plans to have crop-neutral incentive structure like wheat and rice and if so, the details thereon?

THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY (INDEPENDENT CHARGE)
(SMT. NIRMALA SITHARAMAN)

(a) The total quantity of pulses imported into the country during the last three years and the current year along with the rates at which pulses have been imported during the said period is as under:

2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17(APRIL –JANUARY)*
QTY IN TON VALUE IN INR Rate in KGS QTY IN TON VALUE IN INR Rate in KGS QTY IN TON VALUE IN INR Rate in KGS QTY IN TON VALUE IN INR Rate in KGS
3643705 12793 35.11 4584843 17063 37.22 5797702 25619 44.19 5420652 23550 43.44
(Source: DGCI&S)/* Provisional

(b) to (d) : The decision of the Government to import pulses towards building buffer stock is guided by domestic price and availability position. In view of the bumper production of kharif pulses, no import is being undertaken by the Government other than those already contracted when prices and availability position were difficult. For building buffer stock of pulses, Government through MMTC contracted import of 70,000 MT of Desi Chick Peas during 2016-17 of which only 52,315 MT arrived. The Government has approved creation of buffer stock of pulses upto 20 lakh tonnes under Price Stabilization Fund (PSF). In addition, the Government has signed a Memorundum of Understanding (MOU) with Mozambique for import of pulses on Government-to-Government (G2G) basis during 2016-17.

(e)& (f) The details of MSP and bonus given to various kinds of pulses crop-wise (rabi and kharif) and variety-wise for the last three years and current year is given below. The higher MSPs of pulses is for diversifying the areas from other crops.

Commodity Crop Year
2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17
MSP Bonus MSP including Bonus MSP Bonus MSP including Bonus MSP Bonus MSP including Bonus MSP Bonus MSP including Bonus
KHARIF CROPS
ARHAR(Tur) 4300 - 4300 4350 - 4350 4425 200 4625 4600 450 5050
MOONG 4500 - 4500 4600 - 4600 4650 200 4850 4775 450 5225
URAD 4300 - 4300 4350 - 4350 4425 200 4625 4550 450 5000
RABI CROPS
GRAM 3100 - 3100 3175 - 3175 3425 75 3500 3800 200 4000
MASUR(LENTIL) 2950 - 2950 3075 - 3075 3325 75 3400 3800 150 3950
(Source: Directorate of Economics & Statistics)

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