Pulses output might exceed 20 mt in FY17

Pulses production might touch a record 20 million tonnes (mt) in 2016-17, the highest since 1957, since sowing area is up 35 per cent from last year in the ongoing kharif season.

Encouraged by better returns, farmers have diverted area to pulses from rice, coarse grains and soyabean in many states. A rise of ~600 a quintal in the average Minimum Support Price (MSP) for pulses has played a major role in this.

Rating agency SMERA believes domestic production will exceed 20 mt. By official data, sown area was 13.6 million hectares on Sunday, as against 10.05 mn ha in the corresponding period of 2015.

“Production of pulse is set to exceed the government estimate of 20 mt, cooling prices substantially. Inflation pressures will subside once domestic supply reaches the market,” said Sankar Chakraborti, chief executive officer of SMERA.

“As the country witnessed a weak monsoon in the past two years, acreage of pulses had gone down. But, because of attractive prices, farmers have harvested more this year,” said G Chandrashekhar, member of the Commodity and Derivative Advisory Committee of the Securities and Exchange Board of India.