New Delhi, December 05: India could end up producing up to 16.5 million tonnes of pulses this year, reducing the need for imports, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar said here Sunday.
“This year, as per our initial assessment, we are going to achieve our production targets with an all time record production of 16.5 million tonnes. This production will meet the domestic demand of pulses and make India self sufficient in pulses without hopefully any need for imports,” Pawar told the sixth Agriwatch Global Pulses Summit.
Though India is the largest producer and importer of pulses, the huge domestic demand far outstrips thesupply.
Pawar, however, said traders of such commodities need not be worried as the domestic output was still nowhere close to meeting the demand, which is projected to rise to a whopping 30 million tonnes in next 10 years.
“These developments need not dampen the trading community, especially the international trade representatives present here or elsewhere. Despite the expected increased production of pulses to 16.5 million tonnes, we are still far short of the projected demand of nearly 25-30 million tonnes over the next decade,” said Pawar.
Pawar also said that in order to meet domestic demand, the government would support private players to buy land abroad to grow pulses.
“As a government, we would not invest in buying land (to grow pulses) in other countries… my ministry can definitely act as a facilitator if the private players show interest in this. Our aim is to grow more pulses, manage more pulses and sell more pulses.”
–Agencies