Government extends free import of Urad and Tur pulses till March 2024

Tags: National Economy/Finance

The government of India has extended the free import of Urad and Tur pulses by one more year to 31 March 2024. Earlier in March 2022 the government had allowed free import of tur and urad till 31 march 2023. Now importers can import any quantity of urad and tur dal without any quantitative restrictions. The government has taken this step to ensure adequate domestic supply in the country and to control the prices of these pulses.

Pulses and India 

India is the largest producer, importer and consumer of pulses in the world accounting for nearly 25% of global production, 15% of International trade and 27% of world consumption. 

In 2020-21 the total pulse production in India was 26.96 million tonnes.

India meets around 10-12 % of its demand for pulses through import. 

 Source of pulse import  

India buys maximum pulses from Canada followed by Myanmar.

To increase the supply of pulses in India and to keep its prices down, the government of India has signed a number of agreements with foreign countries to import pulses.

• It will import 2 lakh tonnes of tur per year from Mozambique for the next five years starting from 2021.
• It will import 50,000 tonnes of tur from Malawi per year till 2025.
• It will import 100,000 tonnes of tur from Myanmar per year till 2025.

The Government of India has notified import of pulses from Myanmar, Malawi and Mozambique will be allowed through five ports – Mumbai, Tuticorin, Chennai, Kolkata and Hazira. The Mumbai port is in Maharashtra, Tuticorin and Chennai in Tamilnadu, Kolkata in West Bengal and Hazira in Gujarat.

Domestic Production of Pulses 

In 2020-21 the total pulse production in India was 26.96 million tonnes.

Largest Producer of pulses in India (2020-21) (in descending order)

1. Madhya Pradesh 
2. Rajasthan 
3. Maharashtra

Largest Producer of Tur in India (2020-21) (in descending order) 

1. Maharashtra 
2. Karnataka 
3. Telangana 

Source: Economic Survey 2021-22