Govt lifts curbs on export of pulses to protect farmers

NEW DELHI: The government on Thursday removed export curbs on all varieties of pulses to ensure farmers get remunerative prices as domestic rates have crashed below MSP in view of record production.

Pulses production in India touched an all-time high of 22.95 million tonnes in the 2016-17 crop year (July-june). Moreover, the country imported about 5 million tonnes pulses last fiscal, leading to huge availability in the domestic market and a price crash. The government is expecting bumper output this year and it is also sitting on 1.8 million tonnes of buffer stock. The annual domestic demand is around 24 million tonnes. “The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has given its approval for removal of prohibition on export of all types of pulses to ensure that farmers have greater choice in marketing their produce and in getting better remuneration for their produce,” an official statement said.

The decision comes two months after the government lifted ban on export of tur, urad and moong dal, although shipments of these varieties were allowed only through permission from agriculture export promotion body APEDA. Briefing media, IT and law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said, “Opening of exports of all types of pulses will help the farmers dispose of their products at remunerative prices and encourage them to expand the area of sowing”.