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The pulses trade estimates that imports of yellow peas into the country are likely to be around 10 lakh tonnes (lt) by March 31 this year. The yellow pea imports are expected to help offset the anticipated shortfall in supply of chana as the domestic crop size is projected to be lower than last year on drop in acreage and weather impacting the yields in States like Karnataka.
At the webinar on the rabi outlook organised by the India Pulses and Grains Association, Manek Gupta, Managing Director, Viterra India, said the chana crop size for 2024-25 is around 104.3 lt, about 15 per cent lower than the previous year. Chana acreage was down by around 8 per cent down and yields are likely to be lower by around 7-8 per cent. In the largest producing State of Madhya Pradesh, the crop condition is good and yields are likely to be higher by 5-6 per cent, while in Karnataka, which accounts for 9 per cent area, the yields are seen lower by 15-20 per cent, he said.
Gupta predicts that the carry forward stocks of chana for 2024-25 will be approximately 15 lakh tonnes (lt), with the Government holding around 10 lt and the remainder in the open market. Due to the shortfall in the chana crop, there is expected to be a shift in demand towards yellow peas. Gupta mentioned that around 10 lt of yellow peas are likely to be imported before March 31, 2024.
The Government has opened up duty free imports of yellow peas in last December to boost the supply of pulses and keep prices under check. India imports yellow peas from countries such as Canada and Russia among others.
Mithilesh Kumar Gupta of Uttar Pradesh Dal Mills Association said the prospects for the green peas crop looks good as the acreage this rabi has gone up by 3 to 4 per cent in the major production states of UP and Madhya Pradesh. Also, the yields are likely to be higher by 3-5 per cent this year due to favourable weather conditions and the crop size could be around 13-14 lakh tonnes, Gupta said.
Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh had said that there was no concern with the availability of chana as the seeding this year was same as the five-year average at around 105 lakh hectares.
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