Pulses import set to increase on bad crop

LAHORE: Changing climate has started affecting domestic gram production, leading to a back-to-back less-than-demand production and a slump in the output of other pulses, opening an expanding window of imports from Australia, industry officials said.

“Specifically, the gram (desi chana) crop has been badly affected for the last couple of years mainly due to drought conditions in the main growing area of Thal desert,” Danial Ahmed of Pulses Importers & Exporters Association of Punjab, said while talking to visiting Australian farmers and exporters at an event organised by Austraden Pakistan Pulse Trade Mission.

“Severe dry conditions hit hard last year’s produce. Against the demand of about 0.7 million tons, last year’s crop was only about 0.25 million tons and prospects of present crop is not bright as well due to scanty rains.”

The major chunk of the gram crop is solely dependent on rainfall for meeting irrigation needs. However, rain pattern has visibly changed in the main growing area.

Ahmed said typically, the gram crop assumes importance like wheat among other grains and petrol in other fuels, hence its demand and supply used to affect whole pulses market.

“Gram, which is also called chickpea, has traditionally been used in the form of gram pulse (daal chana), gram flour (baisan) as well as whole gram.

It is most consumed pulse in the country and its import is also largest among other pulses,” he added.

The industry official said farmers were facing a dismal outlook of gram crop this year too as production of this year’s crop, which is currently at an advance stage, was likely to be 0.35/045 million tons from the plantation of 0.9 million acres of land.

“The deficiency in production may lead to imports of about 0.2/0.3 million tons,” he said.

He added that owing to dry conditions and no rain since late November, the growth of plants has stunted and thus its height is almost half of the normal.

“During the last crop year (Oct, 2016- Sep, 2017), Pakistan imported 0.4 million tons of gram from Australia,” Danial said.

He also informed the visitors that traders have already imported about 20,000 tons of grams this year from Australia while shipments for about 75,000 tons have been booked, anticipating low volume of local crop.

“The import of the commodity is expected to accelerate before holy month of Ramazan with potential surge in demand of gram flour,” he said.

Danial further said another type of gram, called Kabuli Chana (chickpea), was the second choice for the consumers as its consumption stood at around 0.2million tons, whereas its imports were estimated at 0.12 million tons, while demand of red lentils estimated at 0.12 million tons, black matpe at 0.14 million tons, and red and white beans demand was figured at around 0.10 million tons.

Jacky Sung, representing Special One Grain, a farmer co-operative having around 80 shareholders, said growers tilling approximately 200,000 hectares have been linked with the domestic as well as foreign markets through trade channels.

“We source products from farmers all around East Coast Australia, not just from our shareholders and sell chickpeas, field peas, mung beans, faba beans coupled with wheat, barley and sorghum,” Sung said.

He added that prospects of desi and kabuli chickpeas were bright this year though the production may be lower than the last year’s level.

“It is projected that around 0.9 million tons of chickpeas would be available for export from Australia in 2018 and owing to demand from Pakistan, the price of chickpeas has started to improve with advent of current year,” he said.

Pakistan is Australia’s second largest destination for pulses last season with trade valued at A$465 million. Pakistan is a regular importer of agricultural food commodities including chickpeas, lentils and canola oilseeds.