India’s high pulse target questioned

India is unlikely to meet its robust pulse production targets for 2024-25, according to a leading analyst from that country. The proposed target is 29.9 million tonnes of kharif and rabi pulses, up from an estimated 23.44 million tonnes this year, according to a story that ran in the Hindu Business Line. The Indian government has not formally announced any targets and likely won’t until the country’s general elections are over and a new government is sworn in. The article was based on “informal access” to the government’s internal notes, said G. Chandrashekhar, a senior editor with the newspaper. Stat Publishing said reaching the government target would require well-distributed monsoon rainfall, a significant increase in seeded area and possibly above average yields. The weather outlook for the upcoming crop year looks favourable so far. The India Meteorological Department is forecasting that the southwest monsoon season will deliver 106 percent of the long-term average rainfall. ...