Amid the ongoing tension between India and Canada, the government so far is “comfortable” as far as masur dal (red lentils) is concerned as nearly lakh tonnes of it has arrived at Indian ports. Canada is one of the major source country for import of lentil.
“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,” said an official. Sources also said the government is likely to continue zero import duty on lentils beyond March 2024 to give a clear indication to overseas growers.
Government data shows that 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 imported from Canada. The import of lentils from Australia has increased 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 allowed 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.