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Informist, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024

 

--Govt source: Duty-free imports of yellow peas to be extended by 2 months 

--Govt source: Notification on extending yellow peas duty-free imports soon

 

By Pallavi Singhal

 

MUMBAI – The government is likely to extend duty-free imports of yellow peas by two months to keep prices of chana steady across the country, a government source told Informist. A notification in this regard is likely to be out soon, the source added. Yellow pea is a substitute for both chana and tur.   

 

As of now, the deadline for duty-free imports of yellow peas is set to expire on Dec. 31.

 

There is no clarity about the amount of chana sown across the country in the ongoing rabi season, the source said. "There are issues that have persisted which may diminish overall (chana) crop output...We want the price momentum, which is on the downtrend, to continue as is. The policy may be amended once we have a better view of how the Indian chana crop is looking like. We should have that in the next two months," the source said.

 

Meanwhile, traders said the acreage of chana during the ongoing rabi season is more than last year, and it is likely to progress well. As of Monday, farmers across the country sowed chana over 8.6 million hectares, up 1.9% on year, according to data from the Department of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare. 

 

On Sept. 13, the government had extended the duty waiver on yellow pea imports till Dec. 31 to control high prices of tur and chana. Earlier, duty-free imports of yellow peas were allowed only till Oct. 31.

 

During Apr-Oct, India imported 1.3 million tonnes of yellow peas, according to data from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. This pulled chana prices down to INR 6,725-INR 6,750 per 100 kg in the key market Akola in Maharashtra from INR 6,975-INR 7,000 per 100 kg a month ago.

 

In an interview with Informist in September, the chairman of the India Pulses and Grains Association, Bimal Kothari, said the decision by the government to extend the duty waiver on the import of yellow peas then was absolutely unnecessary, as there was a surplus of 1 million tonnes of the commodity at various India ports by then.  End

 

Written by J. Navya Sruthi

Edited by Avishek Dutta

 

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