Urad imports from Brazil increase to 22,000 tonnes till October
Imports of urad from Brazil have increased to 22,000 tonnes till October end this year when compared to 4,102 tonnes during calendar year 2023, the Government said.
Brazil has emerged as a supplier of urad in recent years and has the potential to become a major source of India’s urad and tur imports, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution said in a press statement.
A Brazilian delegation led by Julio Cesar Ramos, Vice Secretary of Commerce and International Relations, Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, Government of Brazil, met the Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare on Thursday.
Australian chana
Trade in pulses with countries like Brazil and Australia has been uniquely advantageous because the contrast in cropping seasons vis-à-vis India allows these countries to plan their cropping pattern based on India’s crop prospects, the Ministry said. In case of chana, when India notified duty free import of chana in May 2024 following lower rabi 2024 production, Australia responded with massive increase in sowing area as the period coincided with sowing season of that country.
Australia’s chana production in current year is estimated at about 13.3 lakh tonnes (lt) against 4.9 lt in 2023, basically for export to India. The arrival of fresh crop of chana from Australia from last week of October has helped augment domestic availability and dampening of prices in the primary markets, the statement said.
Per the first advance estimates, the production of kharif pulses is seen almost flat at 69.54 lt, a tad lower than corresponding last year’s 69.74 lt, despite a 7.4 per cent increase in acreage. This is primarily on account of 25 per cent decline in urad production, which was impacted by the untimely and incessant rains in the key producing regions. India has been importing urad mainly from Myanmar.
Onion procurement
The Ministry also said that bulk transportation of onions from Nashik to major destinations such as Delhi, Chennai and Guwahati by rail rake has been adopted for the first time this year, for a more cost-effective and efficient disposal. Bulk disposal of onions in major mandis has helped in augmenting availability and in bringing down the prices.
The government had procured 4.7 lt of rabi onion for the price stabilisation buffer this year, and started the release from September 5 through retail sale at ₹35 per kg and also through bulk sales in major mandis across the country. Till date, over 1.50 lt of onion in the buffer has been dispatched from Nashik and other source centres to consuming centres through trucks by road transport and rail, the statement said.