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AgroPolicy, India, Pulses

The Federation will soon take the number of mobile outlets from 50 to 100 and add atta, rice, and moong dal

National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation of India Limited (NCCF), a unit of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Government of India, has launched the ‘Bharat Dal’ brand in Tamil Nadu to sell high-quality pulses and rice to consumers at subsidised price. AASSAAN Global Trade has been appointed as the authorised distributor of Bharat Dal.

Currently, 50 mobile vans sell Bharat Dal brand chana dal directly to customers at main locations in towns and villages in each district. The number of mobile outlets will be increased to 100 and new items such as atta, rice, and moong dal will be added soon. 

This flagship initiative of NCCF aims to stabilise prices, curb food inflation, and augment domestic availability. Bharat Dal is already sold at various places in North India with an overwhelming response from consumers. 


To make pulses available to consumers at affordable prices, the Central Government is maintaining a buffer stock of five major pulses, namely, chana, tur, urad, moong and masur under the Price Stabilisation Fund (PSF). The stocks from the buffer are released in the market in a calibrated and targeted manner to control prices. The chana dal, under this arrangement, is also made available to state governments for supplies under their welfare schemes, police, and jails, and also for distribution through the retail outlets of state government-controlled cooperatives and corporations. 

The Federation will soon take the number

AgroPolicy, Foodgrains, Supply Chain, Trade

India imported 19.63 lakh tonnes of pulses during April-October this fiscal to meet domestic demand, the government said

During April-October this fiscal year, India exported 26.08 lakh tonnes of basmati rice and 73.18 lakh tonnes of non-basmati rice.

Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda provided the Lok Sabha with export statistics for the main food grains in a written response.

The data shows that for the full 2022–2023 fiscal year, 45.61 lakh tonnes of basmati rice were exported, compared to 177.92 lakh tonnes of non-basmati rice shipments.

In 2018–19, 44.15 lakh tons of basmati rice were exported; in 2019–20, 44.55 lakh tonnes; in 2020–21, 46.30 lakh tonnes; and in 2021–22, 39.44 lakh tonnes.

76.48 lakh tonnes of rice (apart from basmati) were exported in 2018–19; 50.56 lakh tonnes in 2019–20; 131.49 lakh tonnes in 2020–21; and 172.89 lakh tonnes in 2021–22, according to the data.

In 2022–2023 India produced 1,357.55 lakh tonnes of rice, compared to 1,294.71 lakh tonnes in the previous year.

India imported 19.63 lakh tonnes of pulses during April-October this fiscal to meet domestic demand, the government said.

In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda informed that pulses imports stood at 24.96 lakh tonnes during 2022-23, 27 lakh tonnes in 2021-22, 24.66 lakh tonnes in 2020-21, 28.98 lakh tonnes in 2019-20 and 25.28 lakh tonnes in 2018-19.

The production of pulses stood at 220.76 lakh tonnes in 2018-19, 230.25 lakh tonnes in 2019-20, 254.63 lakh tonnes in 2020-21, 273.02 lakh tonnes in 2021-22 and 260.58 lakh tonnes in 2022-23.

India imported 19.63 lakh tonnes of pulses

AgroPolicy, Foodgrains, Pulses, Sustainability

She also called for protecting the returns of farmers, who are already growing millet

Nirmala Sitharaman, Finance Minister directed National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) to sensitise farmers to shift towards more remunerative but less water-guzzling crops, especially millets, pulses and oilseeds.

With the production and marketing of Shree Anna being a national priority in the International Year of Millets 2023, Sitharaman told Nabard to encourage farmers to enhance the area covered under millets.

She also called for protecting the returns of farmers, who are already growing millets.

At a review meeting of Nabard, the FM also advised the institution to work towards ensuring efficiency and outcomes at the ground level with improvement in rural income as the top priority, as mentioned in Nabard’s statement.

Sitharaman said that improving the digital capabilities of rural financial institutions, including regional rural banks (RRBs), be facilitated on a priority basis for augmenting financial inclusion.

“NABARD should take steps to augment rural credit by correcting regional imbalances for better productivity in rural areas, including in the non-farm sector,” she added.

She told Nabard to work towards rural income generation as a top priority.

The FM also chaired another meeting of the consultative committee attached to the finance ministry on ‘Financial Inclusion: Progress and prospects’, in Delhi.

There, Sitharaman suggested identifying credit-deficient districts in each state and carrying out special credit outreach camps in those districts.

She also called for protecting the returns

AgroPolicy, Foodgrains, Oilseeds, Pulses, Sustainability

National targets set for food grains at 3320, pulses at 292.5and oilseeds at 440 lakh tonnes for the year 2023-24

Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Agriculture Minister, inaugurated National Conference on Agriculture for Kharif Campaign 2023-24 in New Delhi. Addressing Conference, he emphasised that agriculture remains the prime pulse of the Indian economy and is at the core of the country’s socio-economic development. It accounts for around 19 per cent of the GDP and about two-thirds of the population is dependent on the sector.

Tomar expressed happiness that India’s agriculture sector has been witnessing robust growth with an average annual growth rate of 4.6 per cent over the last six years. This has enabled the agriculture and allied activities sector to contribute significantly towards the country’s overall growth, development and food security. As per 2nd Advance Estimates (2022-23), the production of foodgrains in the country is estimated at 3235 lakh tonnes which is higher by 79 lakh tonnes than the production of foodgrains during 2021-22. Record production of rice, maize, gram, pulses, rapeseed and mustard, oilseeds and sugarcane is estimated. The total production of sugarcane in the country during 2022-23 is estimated at record 4688 lakh tonnes which is higher by 1553 lakh tonnes than the average sugarcane production. As per the 3rd Advance Estimates of Horticulture, a record 3423.3 lakh tonnes of horticultural production are estimated in 2021-22 which is 77.30 lakh tonnes higher than production of 2020-21.

The objective of this conference was to review and assess the crop performance during the preceding crop seasons and fix crop-wise targets for the Kharif season in consultation with State Governments, ensure the supply of critical inputs and facilitate the adoption of innovative technologies with a view to enhancing production and productivity of the crops.  The priority of the government is agro-ecological based crop planning for the diversion of land from excess commodities like rice and wheat to deficit commodities like oilseeds and pulses and high-value export-earning crops. The special Mustard programme was initiated during Rabi 2020-21 which has brought the most spectacular results. Mustard production has jumped by 40 per cent from 91.24 to 128.18 lakh tonnes in the last 3 years.  The productivity saw an 11 per cent increase from 1331 to 1447 kg/ha. The area under rapeseed & mustard enhanced by 29 per cent from 68.56 lakh ha in 2019-20 to 88.58 lakh ha in 2022-23.  Timely action by central and state governments made this remarkable achievement possible.

The Conference set the national targets for the production of foodgrains and other commodities. National targets for total food grain production are set at 3320 lakh tonnes for 2023-24.  The target for production of pulses has been fixed at 292.5 lakh tonnes compared to 278.1 lakh tonnes this year and oilseeds production will be increased from 400 to 440 lakh tonnes in 2023-24.  Total Shree Anna production has to be increased from 159.1 lakh tonnes in 2022-23 to 170.0 lakh tonnes in 2023-24. The strategy would be to increase area through inter-cropping and crop diversification and productivity enhancement through the introduction of HYVs and the adoption of suitable agronomic practices in low-yielding regions.

National targets set for food grains at

Agro Universities, India, Pulses

16 beneficiaries awarded an ‘Authorised User Certificate’ of GI-tagged Gulbarga Tur Dal 

At a recent training programme hosted by the University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), Raichur and ICRISAT, 16 beneficiaries were awarded an ‘Authorised User Certificate’ of GI-tagged Gulbarga Tur Dal as granted by the Geographical Indications Registry, Government of India.

The programme enlightened the authorised users on ways to discover and flag counterfeit tur dal being sold as GI-tagged Gulbarga Tur Dal in the market. The importance of using the GI logo as an identification mark on the packaging for originality and quality assurance was explained to the authorised users.

“The GI protection offers benefits to both consumers and producers, leading to the overall economic prosperity of rural communities. An exclusive logo distinguishes the original from the counterfeit products, thus guaranteeing quality to the consumer,” said Dr Surya Mani Tripathi, Head, Legal Services, ICRISAT, who was instrumental in facilitating the GI tag for the Gulbarga Tur Dal.

The program was attended by farmers and millers, members from the Pulse Board, UAS Raichur and the IPFC team at Agribusiness and Innovation Platform (AIP)-ICRISAT. Throughout the discussion, it was emphasised that post GI registration, the focus should be on quality control and implementation of business frameworks to maximise the commercial value of GI-tagged Gulbarga Tur Dal.

16 beneficiaries awarded an 'Authorised User Certificate'

AgroPolicy, Foodgrains, India, Oilseeds, Pulses

The absolute highest increase in MSP has been approved for lentil (Masur) at Rs 500 per quintal followed by rapeseed and mustard at Rs 400 per quintal.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by Narendra Modi, Prime Minister has approved the increase in the Minimum Support Prices (MSP) for all mandated Rabi Crops for Marketing Season 2023-24.

Government has increased the MSP of Rabi Crops for Marketing Season 2023-24, to ensure remunerative prices to the growers for their produce.  The absolute highest increase in MSP has been approved for lentil (Masur) at Rs 500 per quintal followed by rapeseed and mustard at Rs.400 per quintal.  For safflower, an increase of Rs.209 per quintal has been approved.  For wheat, gram and barley an increase of Rs110 per quintal, Rs 100 per quintal respectively has been approved.

The increase in MSP for Rabi Crops for Marketing Season 2023-24 is in line with the Union Budget 2018-19 announcement of fixing the MSP at a level of at lease 1.5 times of the All-India weighted average Cost of Production, aiming at reasonably fair remuneration for the farmers.  The maximum rate of return is 104 percent for rapeseed & mustard, followed by 100 percent for wheat, 85 per cent for lentil; 66 per cent for gram; 60 per cent for barley; and 50 per cent for safflower.

From the year 2014-15, there has been a renewed focus on increasing the production of oilseeds and pulses.  The efforts have yielded good results.  Oilseeds production has increased from 27.51 million tonnes in 2014-15 to 37.70 million tonnes in 2021-22 (4th advance estimates).  Pulses production has shown similar increasing trend.  The ‘Seed Mini kits programme’ is a major tool for introducing new varieties of seeds in the farmers’ fields and is instrumental for increasing the seed replacement rate.

The productivity of pulses and oilseeds have increased substantially since 2014-15.  In case of pulses productivity has been increased from 728 kg/ha (2014-15) to 892 kg/ha (4th Advance estimates, 2021-22) i.e., 22.53 per cent increase.  Similarly, in oilseed crops productivity has been increased from 1075 kg/ha (2014-15) to 1292 kg/ha (4th Advance estimates, 2021-22).

The absolute highest increase in MSP has

India, Oilseeds, Pulses, Seeds

Increase in production to result in higher income for farmers and benefit the country’s agricultural eco system 

The Government’s priority is to increase production of oilseeds and pulses and thus fulfilling the objective of Atmanirbhar Bharat. The formulated strategies are to increase production through area expansion, productivity through HYVs, MSP support and procurement.. Availability of good seeds for farming increases production and productivity by 20-25 per cent, resulting in higher income for farmers and benefitting the agriculture eco system and the nation’s economy. Due to the erratic and deficit rainfall in some states, the need for early sowing of rabi crops especially pulses and oilseeds has increased. 

For Rabi 2022-23, the focus of the Government is also to provide seed minikits of pulses & oilseeds targeting monsoon deficit regions in the states apart from the regular distribution. The minikits are being provided by the Central Agencies such as National Seeds Corporation (NSC), NAFED etc and these are wholly funded by the Government of India through the National Food Security Mission.

The objective of the Seed Minikit Programme is to:

  • Popularise the latest crop varieties among the farmers to increase the production and productivity.
  • To distribute seed minikits of pulses and oilseeds in the states where rainfall receiving low/deficit during Kharif, 2022 such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, part of the Madhya Pradesh & West Bengal.
  • To cover non- traditional area for rapeseeds & mustard (R&M) in Vidharbha Region of Maharashtra.
  • To distribute major rabi oilseeds as Groundnut for southern states such as Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka and minor oilseeds such as linseed in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, & Rajasthan and safflower in Maharashtra, Karnataka & Telangana.

Increase in production to result in higher

Pulses, Types

The estimated production of pulses in 2021-22 as per the DA&FW is 26.96 million tonnes

The Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Ashwini Kumar Choubey in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha has informed that as per the report of Working Group constituted by NITI Aayog on Demand and Supply Projections Towards 2033 – Crops, Livestock and Agricultural Inputs (February 2018), the demand for pulses is projected to increase from 26.72 million tonnes in 2021-22 to 32.64 million tonnes in 2029-30. The estimated production of pulses in 2021-22 as per the Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare (DA&FW) is 26.96 million tonnes.

The Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare implements the National Food Security Mission (NFSM), a Centrally Sponsored Scheme, which aims at increasing production of rice, wheat, pulses, coarse cereals and nutri-cereals through area expansion and productivity enhancement in the identified districts of the country; improving soil fertility, farm level productivity besides, transfer of technology through demonstrations and trainings, incentives on critical inputs like quality seeds, water saving devices, farm equipment and machinery etc. 

To boost agricultural productivity, the Government is implementing various schemes for supply of farm inputs such as seeds, fertilisers, agricultural machinery and equipment, irrigation facilities, institutional credit, etc., at subsidised rates to the farmers.

The estimated production of pulses in 2021-22

AgroPolicy, Pulses

Global germplasm will be used in the Indian breeding programmes

The Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar in Lok Sabha on March 15, 2022, has announced that the International Centre for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA) has enabled access to global germplasm for use in the Indian breeding programmes. Ten high yielding varieties of Lentil, Chickpea and Barley have been released by ICARDA along with ICAR for commercial cultivation in India during the last three years. Of these, six were released in 2019, three in 2020 and one in 2021.

The ICARDA is engaged in the research and development of improved varieties of food crops (Wheat and Barley) and nutritionally rich pulses. Besides, ICARDA also works on different natural management systems like cropping systems, water productivity modelling, conservation agriculture technology, fodder cactus, etc. in association with the ICAR institutions, the State/Central Agricultural Universities and the Central and State Departments.

Global germplasm will be used in the

Agrotech, Pulses, Start ups, Sustainability, Trade

The fresh capital will be used to scale the traceable, sustainable, and profitable ecosystem of seed spices, oilseeds and pulses

Delhi-based agritech startup BharatRohan Airborne Innovations has raised seed funding investments in a round led by Upaya Social Ventures and Acumen Fund.

The fresh capital will be used to strengthen its foothold across Rajasthan and Gujarat and scale its traceable, sustainable, and profitable ecosystem of seed spices, oilseeds, and pulses across 2 lakh acres of area in the next 18 months. The investment will help build the capability to sell close to 7,000 metric tonne of seed spices like cumin, coriander, fenugreek, carom, and fennel to different institutional buyers.

The startup provides drone-based advisory services to nearly 6,000 farmers across 20,000 acres in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. Out of which almost 20 per cent purchase agri-inputs from the company. This relationship enables the company to implement sustainable farming practices and to track every farm activity on the ground. Consequently, this ensures that the farm output meets the quality parameters of the buyers as BharatRohan also procures farm produce from the same farmers and supplies them to the major retail chains, FMCG players, masala makers and exporters based in India.

The fresh capital will be used to

Agro chems – Chemicals, Company News

Timeline FX ensures flexibility for growers by giving the widest application window of any herbicide for controlling broadleaf and grass weeds for cereal crops

ADAMA Limited, one of the world’s leading crop protection companies, has announced the launch of Timeline FX, the industry’s most advanced cross-spectrum spring foliar herbicide for cereals.

Engineered with three Active Ingredients with complementary modes of action together with a built-in adjuvant, Timeline FX ensures flexibility for growers by giving the widest application window of any herbicide for controlling broadleaf and grass weeds for cereal crops. 

“Farmers shared with us that they were looking for more convenient, effective solutions to control weeds across a range of cereals, and throughout a wide time frame during the busy spring season. We listened and delivered with Timeline FX, which helps save costs, reduces the risk of mistakes during mixing, and delivers powerful performance,” said Rob Williams, SVP ADAMA Europe.

Tests throughout Europe have demonstrated Timeline FX’s consistent control on a wide range of broadleaf weeds and improved management of grassweeds, compared with the competitor standard. There is no herbicide antagonism, so farmers can use other crop protection products in tandem with Timeline FX. 

Timeline FX is registered in Lithuania, Latvia and Sweden for use on wheat crops such as Winter/Spring Wheat, Durum Wheat, Rye, Triticale, and Spelt. Registrations in over 20 additional countries is expected to follow suit with registration label extension for barley crops expected. Ingredients included in Timeline FX are Pinoxaden, Florasulam and Fluroxypyr.

Timeline FX ensures flexibility for growers by

Agro chems – Fertilizers

Organic fertilisers have helped greatly to consumers so that they can avail access to clean-label food items

As per the exclusive report by Vantage Market Research, the global Organic Fertilisers Market size is expected to reach over $22.13 Billion by 2028, exhibiting a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 12.1 per cent during the forecast period.

Organic fertilisers have helped greatly to consumers so that they can avail access to clean-label food items, to the extent that they are ready to pay a higher price for such products. Key manufacturers are therefore investing in bolstering their R&D capabilities and disperse eco-friendly fertilisers heavily, states Vantage Market Research, in a report, titled “Organic Fertilisers Market by source (Plant, Animal, Mineral), by crop type (Cereals & grains, Oilseed & pulses, Fruits & vegetables, Others), by form (Dry, Liquid), by Region (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa) – Global Industry Assessment (2016 – 2021) and Forecast (2022 – 2028)”.

The agriculture sector depends largely upon fertilizers for improvement in soil productivity. Majorly chemical or synthetic fertilisers are used for enhancing crop yield. Moreover, there is trend towards use of these fertilisers, due to increase in awareness of adverse effects because of chemical fertilisers to both environment and human beings.

Organic fertilisers have helped greatly to consumers

Environment, Pulses

USA Dry Pea Lentil Council hopes for improved talks on India tariffs to continue the pulse trade with India.

USA Dry Pea & Lentil Council (USADPLC), the highest quality producer of lentils, dry peas, and chickpeas for national and international markets, has exuberantly laid out a vision for a healthy and viable 2022. As per the USADPLC, the year 2022 glances over sustainable development goals, including good health and well-being. In addition to the objective of a sustainable year, USA Dry Pea Lentil Council hopes for improved talks on India tariffs to continue the pulse trade with India.

Speaking about the prospects for 2022, Sachin Khurana, India Representative, USADPLC, said, “India is an extremely crucial market for our exporters. We remain hopeful that the trade barriers will be resolved in 2022, and the pulses trade relation between India and the US will return to normalcy. Also, in 2022, we will continue to strengthen our sustainability story and educate Indian importers, traders, and consumers about the benefits of sustainable commodity – Pulses.”

Khurana added, “In 2022, USADPLC is also aiming to focus on ‘Standard for Quality’ – an initiative to highlight the quality and premium standard of US Pulses. Through this campaign, we aim to engage with retailers and spread awareness amongst consumers about the superior quality of US Pulses.” 

USA Dry Pea Lentil Council hopes for