The Dal Is On The Boil

Pulses—all-important as a source of protein—are set to be spoilers this year in the government’s endeavour to keep a check on food inflation. Already, over the last nine months, the prices of some pulses have jumped 64 per cent in major cities. This is because of below-normal monsoon last year, compounded by untimely rain and hailstorms in Jan-Feb this year.

India is not only the largest consumer of pulses, it is also their largest producer and importer. There’s no state that does not consume pulses as a staple, be it as sambar, chana, ma-ki-dal (made using urad) and good old regular dal. Across the country, many sweets and savouries too are made from dals. And pulses are seen as a source of protein by vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike, what with the prices of chicken going up as a result of large poultry casualties caused by the heat-wave in May, and the uncertain supply of beef putting pressure on meat prices. Already, the jump in the prices of pulses has put them out of the reach of most poor families. The middle class too may be forced to cut down on intake.

Alarmed, the central government has urged the states to inform it about the shortfall in supplies, so that imports may be stepped up to curb rising prices. So far, however, the states have not been very forthcoming in either furnishing the information or moving ahead with imports, says Union agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh. “As pulses (like oilseeds) are grown mainly in rainfed areas, any disturbance in rainfall affects the production,” he says, and adds that the government has increased the coverage of the ‘pulse mission’ from 566 districts to 630 districts. “We have also allocated Rs 900 crore, almost 50 per cent of the Rs 1,830 crore earmarked for the National Food Security Mission, for improving pulses production and ext­ending the special scheme to cover the hill states of Jammu & Kashmir, Hima­chal Pradesh, the northeastern region and also the eastern states,” he says.

Over the last decade, annual production of pulses has increased by about 45 per cent, from 13.13 million tonnes in 2004-05 to a record output of 19.78 million tonnes in 2013-14. But domestic demand has grown faster and is currently around 22 million tonnes. With production in 2014-15 estimated by the government to be at 18.43 million tonnes (higher than the industry estimate of 17 million tonnes), we can expect a shortfall of 4.5-5 million tonnes.

“When India moves into the import market, that too seeking imports of such large quantities, global prices go up rapidly, as they are India-driven,” says Bimal Kothari, vice-chairman of the India Pulses and Grains Association and managing director of Pancham International, a major importer. Kothari is not optimistic about domestic prices coming down in the next few months—at least till Diwali, when the next harvest is due. But that will be contingent on timely rain in the lentil- and legume-growing regions.

There is also the factor of farmers’ sentiments. “In Uttar Pradesh, the pulse crop face great risk from nilgais, herds of which destroy the whole crop within hours. The government knows no way to control this problem. There is no inc­entive for farmers to grow pulses as the risks are high while the returns on investment are low,” says Sudhir Panwar, a farm leader and member of the Uttar Pradesh Planning Commission.

Agriculture experts admit that not enough focus is being given to providing farmers better quality seeds: compared to other countries, productivity in pulses remains very low in India. Data from the FAO shows that India’s pulse yield, at 600 kg per hectare in 2010, was lower than the average global yield, estimated at 819 kg per hectare, and compares  poorly with the 1,800 kg per hectare in Canada and the US.

“Though the production of pulses has gone up in the last decade, the per capita consumption has become less than half over the last three decades. As it is, the prices of pulses now are very high (four to five times) compared to cereals, so that poor people cannot aff­ord to buy pulses,” says development expert N.C. Saxena. The result is that, as against the who-recommended per capita consumption of 60 grams per day, in India it is just around 25 grams. “The poorest 40 per cent of the population in the country consume barely five per cent of what the rich do, leading to high malnutrition and stunted growth among children,” says Saxena, who has for long been campaigning for higher nutrition levels for those eng­aged in hard physical labour.

The irony is that, while retail prices and the import price of pulses have gone up, for the farmers it does not necessarily translate into better returns for the produce. Which is why this year, with indications of a below-normal rainfall during the monsoon (June-Sept), sowing of pulses is seeing lower coverage. Farm experts point out that with cereal productivity being much higher, and the market prices too being more remunerative, there is greater inclination to shift to cereal cultivation or opt for other cash crops.

Unlike cereals, pulses cannot be stored for long without loss of quality. The Modi government would do well to import more to tide over the current shortage, while at the same time providing greater incentive to farmers through improved supply of high-yielding seeds and better irrigation facilities—a long-existing lacuna. Turning everyone vegetarian can wait till basic protein needs are met. Why not provide subsidised pulses to the poor?