Prices of urad dal in domestic markets soften as government begins procurement of the summer crop, while area under cultivation in the Kharif season increases.
Puja Das
Published10 Jul 2024, 06:55 PM IST
India is expected to produce 3.4 MT of tur in the 2023-24 crop year compared to last season’s 3.34 MT, and 1.5 MT of urad in Kharif alone against 1.8 MT in the previous season. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)
The prices of black matpe or black gram, popularly known as urad dal, have started softening in the domestic market as monsoon rains enhance the area under cultivation during the current Kharif sowing season, according to a statement from the Department of Consumer Affairs.
Anticipation of a normal or above normal rainfall this monsoon season is expected to boost the morale of farmers, and lead to higher production of the crop in major urad producing states, such as Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.
As of 5 July, the area under cultivation for urad has reached 537,000 hectares compared to 367,000 hectares during the corresponding period last year. Hence, the 90-day crop is expected to experience a healthy Kharif production this year, said the statement.
Also read: Kharif sowing as of 28 June rises 33% year-on-year to 24 million hectares
Even the pre-registration by farmers through government agencies such as NAFED and NCCF, for selling their produce at the minimum support price (MSP), or above it once it is harvested, has seen significant momentum during this Kharif season.
Towards domestic self-sufficiency
These efforts are a part of the government's strategy to encourage more farmers to grow pulses during the Kharif season, as it aims to attain self-sufficiency in this sector by encouraging domestic production.
For context, India imported 4.8% more urad at 579,597 tonnes in 2023 than in calendar year 2022, while total imports of the three major pulses—masur, tur and urad—in 2023 were at 2.9 million tonnes (MT), marking a 39.7% increase from the 2 MT imported in the year earlier.
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