According to a September 24 ToI report, though, the Indian government so far is “comfortable” as far as the import of this item is concerned. Nearly lakh tonnes of it have arrived at Indian ports amid the ongoing diplomatic tiff, ToI said citing officials.
“Against our annual consumption of 23 lakh tonne of lentils, the domestic production is around 16 lakh tonne. As nearly six lakh tonne of it has reached our ports we are comfortable and confident of not facing any problem,” an official told ToI.
Sources also said the government is likely to continue zero import duty on lentils beyond March 2024 to give a clear hint to overseas growers.
According to government data, in 2022-23, India imported 4.85 lakh tonnes of lentil worth Rs 3,012 crore from Canada and between April and June this year, nearly one lakh tonnes of lentil has been brought in from Canada.
The import of lentils from Australia has risen to nearly two lakh tonnes. India has also started importing masur dal from Russia. A consignment of Russian lentils landed at Chennai port in August.In September 2021, the government okayed import of masur from Russia. However, due to phytosanitary concerns and high cost of pulses the kitchen staple were not imported from Russia. India is also expanding the basket of countries from which import of lentils is possible to meet domestic demand.The overall domestic pulses production has increased in the recent years and campaigns have been launched to motivate people to consume alternative pulses such as chana (gram) dal. The prices of lentils has increased marginally to Rs 93 a kg compared to Rs 92 a month.
