Indore : How can you expect lowering of pulse price when our processing units are largely dependent on imported pulses? To bring down pulse prices, it is quite necessary to increase production of pulses in our country, said Suresh Agrawal, President of Confederation of MP Pulses Industry.
While talking to this correspondent, he said there were about 700 pulse processing units in the state and out of which over 150 units were in Indore itself and majority of them units were located in Palda area. All these processing units here are facing crisis of their existence.
Talking about high price of pulses, he said that 9 out of 12 months the processing units are depend on imported pulses. The state units are dependent on pulses brought from Maharashtra, Karnataka and Gujarat as in MP farmers produce soybean only. Hence, there is no short-term solution to bring down the pulse price in the open market.
The Union and State governments should encourage farmers to sow pulses and the research institutes should generate high yielding seeds. But, the results of both the measures would be possible only after 3 years.
The confederation had opened stop in the city to sale green lentil at Rs 150 per kg, when the market price was Rs 200 per kg, Agrawal added.
Agrawal highlighted the acute crisis being faced by over 700 pulses processing units of the State. According to him, the Mandi Tax imposed by the State Government on the imported pulses from other states is acting as torpedo for the units located in the State. Though, a few years ago, the State Government exempted Mandi Tax but it was discontinued. This posed serious challenge in terms of survival of the units. Agrawal further said that due to this fact the pulses industry is registering minus growth rate.
In order to save the high employment generating sector, the state government should exempt the Mandi Tax. Only this measure can help in surviving local units. Though, the industry body has submitted several presentations before the State Government, the former’s attitude is quite pathetic towards the units. If such attitude continues, then the local units will face certain death. This act would be shameful for a state which is inviting investment from domestic as well as foreign investors.
