Tur

Tur production in Maharashtra is seen falling 2% on year to 1.06 mln tn. The state has pegged overall food grain output this year at 7.35 mln tn, compared with 8.23 mln tn last year.

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) may soon allow futures trading in tur and urad dal as the regulator considers lifting a decade-old ban. Agri-commodities bourse NCDEX has also sought the regulator’s nod for relaunching futures trading in tur and urad. Trading in tur and urad was banned in 2007 after a spike in prices of these commodities Currently, these commodities have been trading below the minimum support price (MSP), which is a cause of concern for the government. If SEBI allows future trading in tur and urad, it may ease cartelisation in pulses. Large players will also show interest and derivative is a good tool for price discovery.

Area under tur was up 0.6% on year at 4.58 mln ha because of higher sowing in some key growing regions such as Karnataka, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh.

Import of pulses at Chennai port fell 3.9% on month in August to 40,224 tn, as urad imports fell sharply. Import of urad in August declined in anticipation of the new crop hitting markets in Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra in September. Imports of urad fell sharply to 23,856 tn in August from 32,184 tn in July, and 33,720 tn in the corresponding period last year. However, imports of tur last month rose to 11,640 tn compared with 7,752 tn in July. Overall imports of pulses at the various ports remained lower due to restriction by the government in order to support domestic prices.

Maharashtra State Co-operative Marketing Federation has offered to sell 30,286 tn of tur through NCDEX e-Markets. The tur to be auctioned is stocked at godowns of Maharashtra State Warehousing Corp.

Area under tur was up nearly 1% at 4.57 mln ha because acreage in Karnataka, one of the key producing states, rose on the back of good monsoon. Good rains in north Karnataka led to higher acreage, said Vishwanath Biradar. Though acreage in another key producer Madhya Pradesh is down on year, it is higher than the season’s normal acreage based on five-year average.

Arrivals of tur fell in Kalaburagi, Karnataka, to near 1,000 bags (1 bag=100 kg) from 1,500 bags, as farmers believe their produce was fetching lower prices. Prices of tur were unchanged at 3,750-3,850 rupees per 100 kg. Farmers are getting 1,700 rupees below the minimum support price of 5,450 rupees per 100 kg for old crop of tur. Prices of tur in Akola were unchanged at 3,850.

India’s tur acreage was at 4.45 mln ha, largely unchanged from the previous year. Acreage under tur in Karnataka, the second largest producer of the pulse, was up 12.3% on year at 984,000 ha. During Jun 1-Sep 2, Karnataka received 693.6 mm rainfall, 2% above the normal weighted average of 683.0 mm. In Maharashtra, the area under tur was down 4.5% on year to 1.2 mln ha.

Tur output in Maharashtra is estimated to nearly halve to 1.1 mln tn in 2017-18. Tur output in Maharashtra is estimated to nearly halve to 1.1 mln tn in 2017-18. Production of soybean is also pegged lower because of sufficient inventories and lower exports of the meal. Soybean output is estimated to fall 15.2% on year to 3.9 mln tn. Chana output in the state is estimated to fall to 1.8 mln tn, down 8.1% on year.

The Maharashtra government has sent 50 tn tur dal to Kerala which is witnessing the worst floods in a century that have left hundreds dead. State agriculture minister Chandrakant Patil flagged off the Netravati Express carrying the pulse. Other pulses, rice, cereals, dry fruits, and biscuits have also been sent to the flood-hit state.