Timely rains, higher prices boost pulses acreage

Prime Minister Narendra Modi commended India’s farmers earlier this week for “record” sowing of pulses this Kharif season.

However, data made available by the Agriculture Ministry last week show that pulses acreage shows divergence from last year’s figures and is slightly lower than in 2013.

As of July 23, Kharif pulses like arhar (tur), moongbean and urad, were sown across 72.64 lakh hectare (lh) compared to 48.22 lh in 2014, higher by around 51 per cent. However, compared with 2013, acreage is lower by 0.87 lh.

“Last year, there was rain only after July 20 in many key pulses growing areas. The bulk of sowing was done after that. The onset was at the right time this year so farmers in central India completed sowing early,” said NP Singh, Director, Indian Institute of Pulses Research.

“Urad and moong sowing should be completed over the next 10 days so in about 15 days we should have a clearer picture. It’s unlikely that acreage will be much higher than a normal year,” added Singh.

Farmers have sown pulses largely on the back of higher prices.

As of last month, wholesale prices were higher by 34 per cent while retail prices had crossed ₹100/kg in the Capital.

The Centre has also raised the minimum support price (MSP) of arhar (tur) and urad by ₹275/quintal and by ₹250/qtl for moong, to sow more pulses.

“Farmers have become more responsive to market prices unlike before. This, along with the early rain, has resulted in larger area under pulses compared with the same time last year,” said Ramesh Chand, Director, National Institute of Agricultural Economics and Policy Research.

“Since we have no procurement mechanism for pulses, the MSP is only notional. If you look at actual market price and MSP in the past, these often move in opposite directions,” Chand said, adding that he also believed that acreage is not likely to increase much from the previous year.

That sentiment appears to be reflected by government data.

For instance, total pulses sown in Madhya Pradesh till last Friday was across 12.77 lh, higher than the 5.87 lh recorded during the corresponding period the previous year, but closer to the 11.26 lh in 2013 and 10.95 lh in 2012.

Arhar, for example, has been sown across 8.38 lh in Maharashtra so far this year, greater as compared to 6.82 lh in 2014 but similar to the 8.99 lh and 9.93 lh sown in 2013 and 2012, respectively. In Karnataka, the 3.16 lh covered so far is lower than 4.04 lh recorded last year.

Around 8.54 lh in Rajasthan have been sown with moongbean, higher than 4.81 lh last year but closer to 6.79 lh recorded in 2013.

The crop has covered 3.21 lh in Maharashtra so far this year, greater than the 1.21 lh recorded earlier but close to the acreages of 3.59 lh and 3.48 lh in 2013 and 2012, respectively.

“Sowing numbers are higher this year as compared to the last and seem large because it was dismal last year. It is continuing in various places because the value of pulses has been extremely high and there’s better return to farmers,” said Pravin Dongre, Chairman, Indian Pulses and Grain Association.

India produced 17.38 million tonnes (mt) of pulses in 2014-15, down from 19.25 mt the year before.

“What will matter for chana (chickpea) ultimately is the rain in September. Rabi pulses account for 60 per cent of the basket and have 20-25 per cent higher productivity. Production estimates for the Kharif at this time are premature,” added Singh.