There would be no shortage of pulses from next year as the government is taking several steps to boost the production, including talks with Brazil to produce pulses for India, Union Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said here today.
"Talks are on with Brazil to produce pulses on its soil for us (India) and if an agreement is reached with Brazil to produce pulses on its land, there will be no shortage of pulses in the country," Paswan said.
The minister said he had discussion with Brazil's Agriculture Minister and other officials in this regard.
Brazil has two and half times more land than India but it produces pulses on only 6 per cent of that, he said while talking to reporters on the sidelines of national executive meeting of Federation of PTI Employees Unions here.
He said India has offered to give seeds for pulses besides sending a team of trained people to Brazil for helping in pulses cultivation.
There is the possibility of signing of an agreement in this regard in October as Brazil's President is scheduled to visit India at that time, he said.
The agreement with Brazil would be signed on the lines of one that was done with Mozambique in which there will be no role of any private agency.
Paswan, who was on a visit to Brazil to study its food security policies and programmes recently, said he would send a report to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his tour.
The government has taken other steps to boost pulses production in the country, the minister said, adding the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of pulses was hiked from last year's Rs 275 per quintal to Rs 425 per quintal.
Holding back-to-back drought years responsible for poor production and heavy dependence on import of pulses, he said for the first time the production area of pulses has gone up in the country due to the Centre's efforts that included the hike in MSP.
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Paswan assured all help from the Centre to Bihar to tackle flood situation and said both Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad have no concerns for flood victims.
In reply to RJD supremo Lalu Prasad's charge that the Centre has not provided adequate relief to flood victims, he said his ministry has provided 20,000 tonnes of rice to Bihar after receiving letter from the state government yesterday.
The Centre would readily provide all help to the state government if it demands foodgrains for the flood victims, the minister said.
Attacking Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Prasad, Paswan said "Nitish Kumar does not have any concern for flood victims. Rather he is more busy on how to become Prime Minister. Lalu says that Ganga has come to your doorstep and be happy. What if tomorrow a snake bites someone, will he say that 'Nagdevta' has bitten you so be happy."
On religious conversion of Mahadalits in Buxar district, Paswan said it was the failure of the Nitish Kumar government. Had the government taken steps to protect their interest, they would not have resorted to conversion, he said.
Kumar had made tall claims on the welfare of Mahadalit community but it did nothing for them, Paswan said.
