A 25 per cent decline in production of urad due to lower acreage and excess rains is set to drag the overall kharif pulses production to 69.54 lakh tonnes (lt) from previous year’s 69.74 lt. This is despite the overall acreage registering a 7.4 per cent increase this kharif cropping season.

Per the first advance estimates released by the Agriculture Ministry on Tuesday, the production of tur is seen marginally higher at 35.02 lt over previous year’s 34.17 lt, while the urad output is projected to decline to 12.09 lt ( 16.04 lt). Urad production during kharif 2024 is said to be at a 10-year low. The production of moong is seen higher at 13.83 lt (11.54 lt).

No impact on prices

The trade feels that lower projections are unlikely to impact prices in the near term, given ample supplies via imports.

“We feel that the tur output is likely to be higher this year as our ground reports from the key producing States of Karnataka and Maharashtra indicate a good crop. However, we will have to wait and see,” said Bimal Kothari, Chairman of India Pulses and Grains Association (IPGA), the apex trade body. The arrival of new tur crop from Karnataka and Maharasthra are expected to start from late November onwards.

During kharif 2024, the tur area had risen by around 14.13 per cent to 46.50 lakh hectares as farmers across various States had increased their area on good market prices and increase in the minimum support price.

Imports on

Basavaraj Ingin, President of Karnataka Pradesh Red Gram Growers Association in Kalaburgi, said the crop looks average and that the yields may not rise as flowering was impacted. Also, the plants in general have seen a vertical vegetative growth due to continuous rains, which is not good for the crop, he added.

“Prices of pulses, which have witnessed a decline in the recent months, may not see an increase over the next few months as there is enough supply. The imports of tur from East African countries is already on and so also of urad from Myanmar, where the new crop will come from January,” Kothari said.

B Krishna Murthy of Four P International said not only the urad crop size is down, but also there’s a significant decline in quality due to the impact of rains. Despite a lower crop, the prices are holding on due to imports and also due to weak demand, he added.

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