The Government has extended the window for free imports of tur (red gram) to boost supplies as the domestic production is not on expected lines despite good monsoon. The growers are upset and fear that the move would impact the prices further during harvest period, while the trade is not surprised and was awaiting the announcement on extension of imports.
The Director General of Foreign Trade issued a notification on Monday extending the free import window for tur till March 31, 2026. Per the earlier policy, the free imports of tur were allowed till March 31, 2025.
“We protest the Government’s move to allow imports at a time when the domestic crop is being harvested. This will pull down the market prices further,” said Basavaraj Ingin, President of Karnataka Pradesh Red Gram Growers Association in Kalaburgi, a large tur producing region.
“The government should not allow the imports when the domestic crop is being harvested as cheaper imports tend to bring down the mandi prices,” Ingin added.
Growers in key producing regions of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana and Gujarat among others are in the middle of harvesting the 2024 kharif tur crop.
Prices below MSP
Market prices of tur have already started easing over the past one month and have slipped below the minimum support price (MSP) levels in various mandis across the key producing regions. On Monday, the modal prices of tur ranged between ₹5,600 and ₹7,850 a quintal in various mandis of Karnataka. About three-four months ago, these prices ruled over ₹10,000 a quintal.
Prices of imported tur in Chennai market are hovering around ₹6,750 per quintal, while in Mumbai they are ruling in the range of ₹6,100-6,600 levels for different varieties.
Per the first advance estimates, the production of tur is estimated to be around 35.02 lakh tonnes (lt), about 2.5 per cent higher than last year’s output of 34.17 lt. The rise in production is not in sync with the 14 per cent increase in acreage as farmers had expanded the area on high prices in the previous year.
“We were expecting this extension. It is not a surprise to us. We are also expecting a similar extension for urad imports. The production of these two commodities is less this year though we had a good monsoon,” said Bimal Kothari, Chairman, India Pulses and Grains Association (IPGA), the apex trade body.
“Our requirement of tur is about 45 lakh tonnes, while our production is 35 lakh tonnes. To bridge this shortfall the Government has taken the precautionary step by allowing the imports. I don’t think there’s any issue here,” Kothari said.
“As the mandi prices of tur are already down below the MSP, the government should intervene and buy the produce from farmers. If the government doesn’t buy, then prices may come down further as the arrivals are yet to start in lot of places including Gujarat,” Kothari said.
The Agriculture Ministry has already sanctioned the purchase quantity of over 9.66 lt of tur at MSP for the kharif 2024 marketing season. This comprises sanctioned purchase of 3,95,170 tonnes of tur from Uttar Pradesh, followed by 3,06,150 tonnes in Karnataka. For Andhra Pradesh, the tur procurement quantity has been sanctioned at 95,620 tonnes, while for Telangana, the sanctioned quantity is 1,69,140 tonnes. It is 495 tonnes for Haryana.
“This early extension of import window signals the Government’s intention to maintain a steady supply chain and avoid disruptions,” said Rahul Chauhan of Igrain India. Tur imports during April-December period of fiscal 2024-25 stood at 10.9 lt (6.3 lt). The imports during fiscal 2024-25 are expected to be between 12-13 lakh tonnes, up from last year’s 7.7 lakh tonnes, Chauhan said.
With new imports set to begin from Myanmar by end of February along with the domestic arrivals, the availability of tur by the end of season may exceed consumption, Chauhan said.
Bonus from Karnataka
Meanwhile, Karnataka has announced support price of ₹450 per quintal over and above the Centre’s MSP of ₹7,550 per quintal for the growers in the State. According to reports, the Karnataka Minister for Agriculture Produce Marketing Shivanand Patil announced the support price of ₹450 per quintal in Vijayapura on Monday. The State will spend around ₹140 crore towards the support price for tur. Around 400 procurement centres for tur are being set up in the State.
