The government directed the procurement agencies to buy tur, urad and moong directly from farmers in all producing states for creating buffer stock.
Cabinet Secretary directed all the ministries concerned to strengthen monitoring mechanism and ensure availability of these items at reasonable prices during festival season.
Besides NAFED, the Small Farmers’ Agribusiness Consortium and the Food Corporation of India are also undertaking pulses procurement.
India’s pulses production fell to 16.47 million tonnes in the 2015-16 crop year (July-June) from 17.15 million tonnes in the previous year. Pulses output had been low in the last two crop years due to drought, resulting in spike of retail rates.
However, pulses production is expected to rise at 20 million tonnes in 2016-17 as farmers have grown pulses in larger area this year following good monsoon, high market prices and sharp increase in the minimum support price (MSP).
The Centre has decided to create buffer stock of 2 million tonnes of pulses through imports and domestic purchases for making market intervention and supply at reasonable rates.