India imports 3,000t urad via Brazil, 20,000t more to come

Need to ensure food is available for 1.4 billion Indians at affordable rates: govt official

- Puja Das

India has imported 3,000 tonnes of black matpe or urad beans from Brazil and is likely to procure another 20,000 tonnes this year, said Union consumer affairs secretary Rohit Kumar Singh.

Singh in November had urged businessmen and officials in Brazil to grow pulses, especially tur (pigeon pea) and urad, to cater to Indian consumers amid falling domestic production, and as a way of diversifying the sourcing. "We need to ensure that food items are available in the country for our 1.4 billion consumers at an affordable price," Singh said on Thursday on the sidelines of the Global Pulse Confederation conference in New Delhi.