Where does a 12 per cent decline translate as 100 per cent increase? In the bizarre world of India’s food math. Production of pulses slipped down by 12 per cent in 2014-15 compared to the previous year. As a result, prices of this essential item have zoomed up by more than 100 per cent across the country. The government is scrambling to retrieve the situation, especially because an important election is being fought in Bihar and the festive season is just beginning. It’s a kind of an onion moment – where merciless spikes in onion prices in the past led to political upheavals.
But why are pulses on fire? Here are the basics: India consumes around 23 million metric tons (MMT) of pulses. This is an aggregate of a variety of pulses including gram (chana), tur or arhar, mung, masur and urad. Pulses are the main source of protein for a very large number of people in the country – each 100 grams contains about 32 grams of proteins and several amino acids not made by the body. So, it is an essential part of Indian meals. Naturally, India is the largest producer and consumer of pulses in the world.
But India’s production of pulses has stagnated at around 18-19 MMT for several years now. The shortfall between production and consumption is made up by imports, mainly from Canada, Myanmar and some African countries.
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