Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh said on Tuesday that the government is in talks with Brazil for urad import to increase domestic supply and keep prices under control.
In view of the demand-supply gap, India imports 7-7.5 lakh tonnes of urad annually, of which 74 per cent comes from Myanmar, he said.
The agro-climatic conditions in Brazil are suitable for urad production, the secretary told reporters. We are seriously exploring the possibility of importing Urad from Brazil. The talks are in an advanced stage.” He said that so far in the current calendar year, about two lakh tonnes of urad have been imported from Myanmar.
To reduce its dependence on Myanmar, India is exploring other destinations for new sources of urad.
Recently, the Department of Consumer Affairs warned exporters of pulses in Myanmar against hoarding the commodity as it affects domestic supplies.
The Agriculture Ministry has estimated urad production at 26.8 lakh tonnes for the year 2022-23 (July-June), which is lower than last year’s 27.7 lakh tonnes.