The Hindu Business Line : Pulses trade denies stocks lying at ports

Mumbai, Aug 6 The Pulses Importers Association of India has denied allegations that large quantities of government and private stocks are lying at various ports for several months and that the quality has been deteriorating.

An estimated 3.7 lakh tonnes of yellow peas are currently lying at various ports and at port-towns and are in the process of being distributed to end-users in the hinterland, the association has asserted.

Importers usually sell the imported goods on arrival and delivery to the buyer is usually ex-docks.

Speaking to Business Line, Mr K.C. Bharatiya, President of PIA, said that some consignments were held up at ports because of delays in plant quarantine clearance, while in a few cases, disputes relating to documentation had arisen.

Stocks at ports

Port and port-town based stocks include 1.8 lakh tonnes in Mumbai, 89,000 tonnes in Tuticorin, 66,000 in Kolkata, 28,000 tonnes in Kakinada and 8,000 tonnes at Vizag, the association said.

This quantity represented about a fifth of the country’s total imports and most of the cargo arrived in the last 1-2 months.

Imports

The PIA said that in order to augment supplies, its members have contracted for about four lakh tonnes and the imported goods would arrive over the next three months.

India is the world’s largest producer and consumer of a wide variety of pulses.

To meet domestic production shortfall, it imports over 25 lakh tonnes of various pulses a year from diverse origins such as Canada, Myanmar and Australia.