Ample monsoon rains this year have changed the fortunes of Rajasthan’s moong producers as they prepare to deliver a bumper harvest to the market in a few weeks.
The mood is upbeat in the moong growing areas of Pali and Jodhpur districts of one of the country’s largest producers of the green or golden bean, farmers and traders said.
Sowing has been completed, and the area with moong is nearly 20% more than last year’s figure. And production could be ten-times higher from a year earlier, when drought destroyed the crop.
So far, moong has been planted in over 9,84,000 hectare, or 112% of the target set by the state’s agriculture department.
Last year, moong was planted in 8,01,000 hectare in Rajasthan, below the target 8,86,000 hectare. But scanty rainfall destroyed the crop.
The impact of rains could lift the output to 3,50,000 tonne or even higher. This would be a substantial improvement from the previous year, when production fell because of a weak rainfall.
This year, steady rainfall has ensured that the planting has delivered. For example, in his Kana village, 70 km from Pali town, the crop, healthy and standing for nearly a month, has begun flowering, said Ramnesh Kumar Kumawat.
The crop is “in good condition and its height is one to one-and-a-half feet”, he said.
Elsewhere in Rajasthan too, the moong plants are flowering, said farmers and traders. Kumawat wants another spell of “good rains”, so that his hopes of a bumper crop are met. To sustain growth, the next round of good rains must come after 10-15 days, the farmer said.
Moong also requires warm temperatures, around 30-35 degree centigrade to ensure growth. Before the next rain round, the crop needs “ample sunshine” said Hensingh Rajput, a moong farmer in Sar near Luni in Jodhpur district.
Of the roughly 500 farmers in his Sar village, over 200 have planted moong this year because they expect the bean would fetch them better returns than from growing bajra or guar seed.
Devraj, a moong trader in Jodhpur, said local farmers began sowing after rains hit this district and nearby districts in the final week of July.
“If we see a good second spell of rains in the first or second week of September, then we expect a bumper crop in this (Pali-Jodhpur) area,” he said. So far in the season, Rajasthan has received 437 millimetre of rainfall, more than the 50-year average of 401 mm.
Omprakash Agarwal, a moong trader, expected this year’s production to be “much higher” then last year’s, although it was too early to make a firm estimate of the size.
Some traders said in 2010-11 (October-September) moong output in Rajasthan could be between 3,50,000 and 5,00,000 tonne. This would be substantially higher than the previous year’s (2009-10’s) figure of 38,000-42,000 tonne.
However, forecast for 2010-11 is below the 700,000 tonne seen in 2007-08, according to agriculture department estimates. In anticipation that the big output would hit the mandis in four-to-six weeks, wholesale prices were down.
Early on Friday, moong in Jaipur’s wholesale market was Rs 45-47 per 1 kg, down Rs 7-8 from a month earlier.
“I expect prices will further go up by 10-15% by mid or end of September, when arrivals of the new crop start,” said Shyam Kumar, a Jaipur-based trader. Post sowing activities like removal of weeds, spraying of insecticides, and pesticides are on, said farmers.
“We have started to remove weeds and have started to spray insecticides and pesticides,” said Chotu Singh, a moong farmer from Sardargarh village in Jodhpur district. “Farmers in most villages nearby have started these activities and others are likely to start this soon,” said Shravan Singh, another farmer. Moong is sown immediately after the first showers ? July and August ? and harvested in
September and October. This year the planting began late last month.
Rajasthan’s main moong producing areas are Pali, Jodhpur, Ajmer, Nagaur, Merta, Barmer, Tonk and Jaipur. Together these areas’ farms account for over 50% of the state’s total produce.
India is the world’s largest producer and consumer of pulses. Supply hasn’t kept up with demand, and India has been importing the commodity. The rise in prices of pulses contributed to boosting inflation in recent months.
Moong accounts for 7% of the country’s total pulses production of nearly 15 million tonne annually.
