Price spikes in pulses this year may have been spurred by dented production prospects amid an uneven monsoon, but India’s output shortfalls vis-a-vis demand for the key protein source as well as edible oils and fruits are expected to persist or even widen over the next seven years, as per a new research report by agricultural economists.
Food deficits compel reliance on imports and raise the food import bill in the long run, cautioned the research report on ‘Prospects of India’s Demand and Supply for Agricultural Commodities towards 2030’, published by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) and the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER).
“Commodities like oilseed, pulses and fruits are expected to experience a supply and demand gap in the coming years. Therefore, there is a need to increase the level of production and productivity of oilseeds, pulses, and fruits since their demand in the future shows an increasing trend,” the report’s authors Ashok Gulati and Shyma Jose said.
