India to import 1.5m tonnes pulses next fiscal

The Indian government has decided to import 1.5 million tonnes of pulses in 2008-09 fiscal through public sector trading agencies, a move aimed at increasing the domestic availability and curb rising prices of the commodity.
“We will import 1.5 million tonnes of pulses during this fiscal through STC, MMTC, Nafed and PEC,” a top government official said.
In last fiscal also, the government had announced that it would import 1.5 million tonnes of pulses and offered 15 percent subsidy to these agencies. However, it has not been able to purchase the targeted quantity because of economic factors.
“You cannot just import to meet the target. Imports are to be made in phases so that international prices do not rise sharply. Besides, the domestic prices are also to be monitored,” another government official said.