Today, the Parliament was informed, that the India has to import 7 lakh tonnes of pulses during April-May to meet the domastic demand.
Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said in a written reply to Lok Sabha, the country has imported 7,05,477 tonnes of pulses in the first two months of 2016-17 fiscal. as per data stated, India had imported 57.97 lakh tonnes of pulses during the entire 2015-16 fiscal. In reply to another query, Paswan said: "The production of pulses varies in the range of 17-19.5 million tonnes while demand for 2016-17 is estimated at 24.61 million tonnes, The deficit in domestic supply is met through imports primarily under private trade”, he added. "However, in the ensuing year, the government will also import pulses, the quantum of which will depend upon the availability and prices of pulses both domestic and global," the minister said.