It is becoming increasingly clear that the Central government has no clear plan to address the problem of low prices faced by pulse growers, especially tur/arhar or pigeon pea growers in States like Maharashtra and Karnataka. The growers’ widespread disappointment over the poor policy responses and tardy procurement can potentially cause New Delhi acute embarrassment in the upcoming kharif season.

To be sure, the country harvested a record 42.3 lakh tonnes of tur/arhar in the 2016-17 kharif season, significantly higher than the weather-hit 25.6 lakh tonnes in the previous kharif. Encouraged by high open-market prices and satisfactory rainfall, farmers planted a larger acreage, followed good agronomic practices and harvested a record crop.

But their price expectations have been belied because of the government’s failure to frame a responsive policy. While the minimum support price fixed by the government is ₹5,050 a quintal, the farm-gate price prevailing in the last three months has been 10-15 per cent lower at about ₹4200-4,400 a quintal. The price support operation was not only tardy, but was also inadequate for the size of the harvest.

Meanwhile, the government continued to allow large-scale import of the pulse (tur/arhar) without any consideration for the size of the domestic crop. Imported tur/arhar arrives in the country from Myanmar and East Africa at about $600 a tonne, equivalent to about ₹4,200 a quintal, far below the MSP.

Three months after the damage was inflicted on growers, the government woke up to impose a 10 per cent Customs duty on tur/arhar imports, hoping it would lift domestic prices. It was too little, too late.

The real tragedy, however, is that the duty impost is infructuous. Pulse imports from Myanmar and East Africa are exempt from Customs duty in India under ASEAN and other agreements.

In other words, tur/arhar continues to flow in virtually duty-free. Obviously, someone in the government failed to do their homework and the announcement of the 10 per cent Customs duty was a mere eyewash. Who will own up this blunder remains to be seen.

Meanwhile, there are disturbing reports that traders have been offering the low-priced, imported tur/arhar to the procurement agencies and making a cool profit.

Now, the Union Minister for Food and Consumer Affairs wants the duty on tur/arhar import hiked to 25 per cent. It makes little sense because the duty is on paper and not levied on actual goods that arrive. Obviously, the Minister has not been briefed properly.

Chana (gram or chickpea) growers too have reasons to be as upset as pigeon pea growers. They planted a record acreage (99 lakh hectares) based on high open market prices last year. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, chana production is an estimated 91.2 lakh tonnes, a new high for the country (against 70.6 lakh tonnes in the previous season).

No wonder desi chickpea prices have dropped sharply in recent months. At the same time, chickpea imports continue to hit Indian shores: an estimated 500,000 tonnesarrived in the past three months, adding to domestic supplies and depressing prices.

Interestingly, despite a record harvest of 221.4 lakh tonnes of pulses in 2016-17, imports too reached a high of 62 lakh tonnes in 2016-17, which is 59 lakh tonnes more than imports during the drought-ravaged year of 2015-16.

Overall, the government’s policy response to the welcome rebound in domestic production has been utterly inadequate. The tardy pace of procurement, continuing restrictions on exports as well the operation of storage control order have all combined to hurt growers. Apparently, no lessons have been learned from the ‘dal shock’ of 2015-16 that embarrassed the government.

The writer is a global agribusiness and commodities specialist. Views are personal