Pulses should be included in food schemes and PDS: industry body

Mumbai: Pulses should be included along with  other grains in the Centre’s ambitious food entitlement scheme and also in public distribution system, an industry body said. “We support the Government’s initiative of Food Security Bill. We need to look at not only food but nutrition security too. We urge the Government to include pulses in the proposed Bill,” India Pulses and Grains Association (IPGA) Chairman Pravin Dongre told PTI here. The scheme, which proposes to give India’s three- fourth population the right to highly-subsidised food (mainly wheat and rice), was introduced in Lok Sabha today. [caption id=“attachment_1018011” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of pulses. Agencies[/caption] There is a serious nutrition deficiency in the country and pulses will give cost-effective alternative as protein is equally important for the health of the poor, Dongre said. He also demanded that pulses be included into public distribution system (PSD) through which it can be made available to a vast majority of people. Dongre asked the Government to lift the ban on the export of pulses. The Centre imposed the ban some six years ago to stabilise prices. “We have urged the Government to allow the export of pulses. India is the largest producer and importer of pulses. The country achieved record pulses production at 18.45 million tonnes in the crop year ending September 2013,” Dongre said. To meet the demand of 21 million tonnes, the country imported 3.3 million tonnes of pulses in 2012-13. The prices of several pulses have come down drastically following the record production. Expressing happiness over the declining prices of pulses, Dongre said the rates are down 40 per cent over the past one and half years. Some of the pulses are trading below Government’s minimum support price (MSP). “In view of good monsoon this year across the country, we expect good rabi and kharif crop and adequate stock in the country, Dongre said, adding in view of this the Government should allow export of pulses. PTI