Pulses production likely to surge 35% in current season

India plans to produce 6.2 million tonne of pulses in the current July-June kharif season, up 35 per cent from 4.6 million tonne last year, according to the Bhopal-based Directorate of Pulses Development.

"The target has been enhanced keeping in view the domestic consumption requirements and also the export potential of pulses," a top official at Directorate said Tuesday.

India is the world's biggest producer and consumer of pulses ,12.7 million tonne in 2004, with 10.24 million hectare of land cultivated during the kharif season alone.

Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka are the main cultivating regions. Arhar (pigeon pea), urad (black matpe) and moong are the three major crops of the kharif season.

The Maharashtra government has fixed a kharif target of around 1.6 million tonne of pulses, the largest figure apportioned."Maximum production target has been fixed from Maharashtra as it is India's largest pulses growing state," the Directorate official added.

However, agriculture department officials warned that production may fall short of these targets as crop progress slows, mainly on account of uneven rainfall distribution.

August 5 figures show a strong recovery in acreage to the near-normal level of 8.1 million hectare ending three-week-old worries over July 21 figures, which showed a 40 per cent drop in national acreage from 10.24 million hectare to almost 4.00 million hectare.

The improved pulse coverage is a result of the subsequent resurgence of the southwest monsoons in important pulse growing areas.