The area under pulses may rise by about 8 per cent in 2010-11 Kharif season on expectations of good price realisation like last year and the likelihood of normal monsoon, experts have said.
"There are chances that pulses acreage will increase by 7-8 per cent over last year, as farmers are expecting good prices and will try to put more area under the commodity," Pulses Importer Association President K C Bhartiya told PTI.
Higher acreage of pulses, if achieved, would provide relief to consumers from high prices, who have been paying through their nose for the commodity, particularly tur and moong.
The sowing for Kharif season has started. So far, the area sown under pulses has increased by 53 per cent to 53,500 hectares compared to 35,000 hectares in the year-ago period.
The total acreage stood at 23.16 million hectares in 2009-10 crop year (including both Kharif and Rabi).
A normal monsoon, as predicted by the Met Department, would also help farmers to expand the area sown under pulses, Bhartiya said, adding that tur and urad acreage is expected to rise the most.
"These pulses can be grown more easily compared to others and farmers' realisations from them have been good," he noted.
Analysts are also of the view that acreage would increase in this Kharif season as the government has initiated several schemes aiming to boost production of pulses, where India is not self-reliant and has to import about four million tonnes to meet domestic demand.
"Government schemes aimed at increasing output will also encourage farmers to raise pulses acreage this year," Angel Broking Senior Research Analyst (Commodities) Badruddin said.
India is estimated to have produced 14.77 million tonnes of pulses in 2009-10 crop year. However, the annual demand is 18-19 million tonnes and the deficit is met through imports.
The Centre had launched a National Food Security Mission with an outlay of nearly Rs 5,000 crore to raise production of wheat, rice and pulses. In this year's Budget, Rs 300 crore has been earmarked for organising 60,000 "Pulses and Oilseeds Villages" in rainfed areas in 2010-11.
According to Bhartia, the import of pulses is also likely to go up this year and could be a little over four million tonnes.
"Not only are global prices lower this year, but the government has also indicated that it wants to have more buffer stock. Therefore, the country is also likely to import more pulses than last year," he said.
However, Badruddin said that high domestic prices will discourage demand and hence, will slow pulses imports this year.