Pulses production may decline up to 30 pc this yr: Expert

New Delhi, Oct 2 (PTI) Production of kharif pulses,including tur and urad, may dip up to 30 per cent this yeardue to inadequate rainfall after the sowing, says an expert. Lack of rainfall in Maharashtra, north Karnataka andnorth Andhra Pradesh, the major producing areas of pulses,during June-July, just after the sowing, damaged the earlyseedlings, according to Karvy Comtrade's Chowda Reddy. This early damage will affect the final output by 25-30per cent, he added. According to government data, the production for tur,which is grown during Kharif season, is expected to be 2.37million tonnes (MT), against 3.09 MT last year, down 23.3 percent. Urad output for 2008-09 is likely to be 0.82 MT, against1.15 MT last year, a fall of 28.69 per cent. Moong output isexpected to decline to 0.77 MT from 1.26 MT last season. In 2008-09, total production of kharif pulses, includingmoong, is estimated at 4.72 MT, against 6.45 MT last year. Thegovernment, which had set a target of 5.94 MT production ofkharif pulses, hopes that production will go up this year bythe time the final output comes next year. By the time the fourth advance estimates is released, theimpression is that the production will improve. The firstadvance estimates are always little provisional, AgricultureSecretary T Nanda Kumar had said recently. Till September 25, sowing areas for urad declined thisseason to 21.56 lakh hectares (LH), compared to 27.53 LH inthe same period last year. The arhar acreage dipped to 34.34LH from 38.54 LH in the review period. (PTI)