Tata's MoPu initiative is a long-overdue plan that will help
improve nutrition, conserve water, and benefit the country financially,
says S Viswanathan in an article from the Industrial Economist
Since 1990–91, there has been little change in the area under
pulses and gram; productivity has not improved during this period;
hence, production has been static. But the population predominantly
dependent on pulses for protein has increased by around 32 crore (to
over 85 crore) during this period. Hence this pulses shortage and
the significant spurt in prices.
In the late 1980s, the Government of India set up six technology
missions, for drinking water, literacy, oilseeds, etc., under the
chairmanship of Sam Pitroda. This mission mode did help in a sharp
focus and achieved a good measure of success. For instance, oilseed
production, which had long been stagnant, increased, from 18.6 mn
tonnes in 1991 to nearly 30 mn tonnes in 2007–08. There has been
similarly modest success in the production of foodgrains — from
209.8 mn tonnes in 1991 to around 230 mn tonnes last year.
mode was not introduced for another major food crop, viz. pulses.
This perhaps explains the stagnation in production: 14.3 mn tonnes
in 1990–91 and 14.2 mn tonnes estimated for 2008–09. Production
of tur gram was static, being 2.4 mn tonnes in both years. The area
under pulses has also remained around 23–24 mn ha. If we take
into account the sizeable increase in population during this period
and the demand for an increase in the consumption of pulses, thanks
to improved standards of living, a measure of the current crisis
in pulses can be understood.
In a country with a population of 117 crore that is predominantly
vegetarian, pulses are the major source of protein for a sizeable
section of the citizenry. The big spurt in pulses prices, especially
tur dhal (red gram), is seriously diminishing the consumption of
this vital source of protein. One notices a tendency to cut the
dhal content in the massive mid-day meal programme for school children.
The Tata MoPu initiative
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R Gopalakrishnan, executive director, Tata Sons, in a recent presentation
at the Indian Merchants Chamber, Mumbai, highlighted the emerging
crisis in pulses, "which is crucial to India but of minuscule
interest to the rest of the world.” He points out that it is
India, the largest producer and the largest importer of pulses in
the world, that will suffer the most if she doesn't find a way out
of the pulses crisis.
Gopalakrishnan has been closely associated with Indian agriculture
for over four decades — initially in his service with Hindustan
Lever and now with the Tatas. He is the chairman of the largest producer
of plant protection chemicals, Rallis India Ltd, and vice chairman
of Tata Chemicals Ltd, a large producer of fertilizers, soda ash,
salt and other chemicals. It is, therefore, welcome news that he should
be taking the initiative to attend to this emerging crisis. The Tata
MoPu (for More Pulses) initiative has been undertaken to improve productivity
in the major pulse-producing states of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh,
Andhra Pradesh, UP and Karnataka. The Rallis Kisan Kutumaba, well
spread throughout Karnataka, and the Tata Kisan Kendra of Tata Chemicals
in UP will offer a vast range of services — from the provision
of quality and tested seeds to farmers’ advisory services on
plant breeding, protection and marketing. Like Tata Salt, one may
look forward to Tata Tur emerging a household brand.
Welcome initiative
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| Vibhu Nair, director, Irrigated Agriculture
Modernisation and Water bodies Restoration and Management (IAMWARM)
project, is sepearheading the TN pulses programme initiative. |
The speed with which this ace marketeer works was on display as
he took the message to Tamil Nadu. Vibhu Nair, director, Tamil Nadu’s
IAMWARM project, who attended the Indian Merchants' Chamber Agri
Meet in Mumbai in September, invited Gopalkrishnan to participate
in a workshop on pulses attended by experts, including those from
the World Bank, the Agriculture Department and the Tamil Nadu Agricultural
University. Nair explained that the focus of the pulses mission
would be on technology, productivity and marketing. He pointed to
pulses being raised either as a rainfed crop or as a rice fallow
crop. The area under pulses in the state is 4 lakh ha (in India
overall it is around 23 mn ha). Yield levels in Tamil Nadu are just
around 340kg / ha, about half of that of India in general and a
third of that in well-managed farms. Nair pointed to little genetic
improvement, the non-availability of quality seeds and inconsistent
productivity.
“It is a bonus crop; water availability is not assured, post-harvest
handling and storage facilities are poor and there is a vast difference
between farm gate (Rs35–40 per kg) and retail (Rs75 per kg)
prices.” Nair expressed the hope that corporate involvement
will help bridge this difference in prices. He invited the Tatas
to join hands with the government in an intense effort to encourage
the cultivation of pulses in the districts of Pudukkottai and Vellore.
T V Somanathan, secretary to TN Chief Minister (Monitoring), welcomed
the private initiative to procure and market the crop. S Ramasundaram,
commissioner and special secretary PWD, pointed out that, per unit
of production, pulses required a fifth of the water of paddy. Thus,
switching to pulses will help the water-starved state move away from
water-intensive crops.
V Shankar, managing director, assisted by Dr S Mallikarjunappa, Dy
GM–R&D, Rallis India, offered to join hands with the Tamil
Nadu government initiative to expand production of pulses in the state.
Over two decades ago, IE suggested that Tamil Nadu should move away
from the water-intensive crops of paddy and sugarcane. In a presentation
at the Madras Institute of Development Studies under the chairmanship
of Malcolm Adiseshaiah, this writer pointed to the state losing its
importance as a producer of agricultural products, its rank dropping
from 6th to 12th. In the subsequent two decades, the share of agriculture
in the state's gross domestic product has fallen and is presently
around 14 per cent. Despite the state spending large amounts on agriculture
and allied services, the growth rate has been dismal, at just around
1 per cent per annum. IE has been suggesting that the state focus
on pulses, oilseeds and horticulture products and cited the success
achieved by Maharashtra and Gujarat through such a focus.
IE is thus happy that the present initiative will focus on the production
the pulses. The close association of ICRISAT/World Bank, TNAU and
the Tatas holds rich promise.
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