Protein deficit. Tur output may shrink despite higher acreage

Production of tur/red gram (arhar or pigeon pea) is set to decline despite farmers bringing in more area under the major kharif pulses crop.

The continuous recent rains in the key-growing regions of Karnataka and Maharashtra are seen impacting tur, both growers and traders said. Karnataka and Maharashtra accounted for over half the planted area under tur this year.

“The situation is bad this year as we fear a major crop loss,” said Basavaraj Ingin, President of Karnataka Pradesh Red Gram Growers Association in Kalaburgi, the major producing region in the State. Kalaburgi accounts for over a tenth of tur area in the country. “We feel that crop has been impacted in about 70 per cent of the planted area in Kalaburgi,” Ingin said.

Over the past fortnight, Kalaburgi witnessed continuous rains and fields around rivers and rivulets are waterlogged. Even the low-lying areas are waterlogged and unless it drains fast, tur plants will rotting start. “This is the third time this kharif season, that we have witnessed continuous rains for over a week. We had continuous rains in July and August too,” Ingin said.

Rainfall data

According to the rainfall data of the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC), Kalaburgi received 26 per cent excess rainfall during the June 1-September 30 period of the South-West Monsoon this year. Cumulative rainfall for Karnataka as a whole during this period was a deficit of eight per cent.

Rathindranath Sugur, Joint Director Agriculture, Kalaburgi, said, till August-end, the crop losses were estimated in area of 55,000 hectares as the district had received excess rains in July. The September rains have inflicted crop losses in another 50,000 hectares, according to a preliminary survey.

A clearer picture will emerge in next 10-15 days, Sugur said. Of the cropped area of 7.5 lakh hectares (lh) in Kalaburgi, tur has been planted in about 5.7 lh. “Tur crop has started wilting in the water logged low lying areas and due to the prevailing cloudy climatic conditions, the flowering is delayed, which could affect yields,” Sugur said.

The Agriculture Ministry, in its first advance estimates, has pegged the tur crop at 4.43 million tonnes (mt) compared with 4.28 mt last year (per the fourth advance estimates). Overall pulses output is projected to be higher at 9.45 mt (8.69 mt).

Santosh Langar, a miller in Kalaburgi, estimates that there would be a 20 per cent crop loss due to excess rains. The losses could aggravate, if there are further rains over the next few days. “There are forecast that there could be more rains due to the cyclone Gulab,” he said.

In Maharashtra, tur has been impacted in areas such as Vidarbha and Marathwada, among others. “About 10-15 per cent of the standing crop has been impacted due to water logging and flooding of the fields next to rivers and streams,” said Nitin Kalantri of Kalantri Foods, a pulses processor in Latur.

Stating that farmers have faced widespread losses due to excess rains, Moula Mulla, President of the Kalaburgi district of All India Kisan Sabha, said the government should immediately compensate the growers with a minimum of ₹25,000 per acre to offset the losses and help them prepare to take up the rabi sowing.

Mulla estimates that tur crop has been damaged in at least 10 lakh acre of the 12 lakh acre planted area. Even soyabean growers have been impacted, he added. Langar said the market has not reacted to the crop losses as the import window has been kept open by the government.