Govt sees 2019-20 chana production up at 11 mln tn vs 10 mln tn.
Chana output in the country is expected to be over 11 mln tn in 2019-20 (Jul-Jun) against 10.1 mln tn last year, primarily due to higher area under the crop and a rise in yield.The minimum support price for 2020-21 (Apr-Mar) was set at 4,875 rupees per 100 kg, up from 4,620 rupees the previous year. Data from the farm ministry showed that sowing of chana ended in the last week of January, with the area under the crop nearly 12% higher on year at 10.7 mln ha.
In Rajasthan, the acreage was up 42%, while in Maharashtra it was up 66%. However, Madhya Pradesh, the largest grower of the pulse, saw a decline of 20%. The output is likely to rise due to a jump in acreage and higher yield in Rajasthan and Maharashtra. This would negate the decline in Madhya Pradesh, the official said. Rajasthan and Maharashtra are other major growers of chana. There are some concerns over the crop due to higher-than-expected day temperatures. A large portion of the crop was sown late and higher temperature may hit yields to some extent. However, it is unlikely to severely hit the overall production.The yield in regions with higher-than-expected temperatures is expected at 1.2-1.5 tn per ha while in other areas, it is seen at 1.7-2.5 tn per ha.
Chana is the largest grown variety of pulses in the country and accounts for over 40% of the total pulses production. India is the world's largest consumer of pulses and used to be the largest importer because its domestic demand of around 26 mln tn usually outstripped production. The country produced around 23.4 mln tn pulses in 2018-19 (Jul-Jun), farm ministry data showed.
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