India Removes Kabuli Export Restrictions

NEW DELHI - Mar 7/07 - SNS -- The Indian government removed all restrictions on the export of kabuli chickpeas, known in India as kabuli chana or dollar gram, under Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) Notification No.52.

In announcing the decision, government officials said in a statement, "A complete ban on export of pulses was imposed, during June last year, keeping in view the price rise. A number of representations were received in the Department of Commerce, that because of a general ban on export of pulses, prices of Dollar Gram (chana), which is not used as pulse but exported in its primary form, have plummeted.

"This particular variety of chana is grown in limited pockets of the region, mainly Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh. There were reports that the prices have fallen between Rs.2000 to Rs.2300, as against the last year prices of Rs.4000 to Rs.4500 per quintal."

Officials added, "There were reports that a few farmers have contemplated suicide since they are not able to meet even half the cost of cultivating this Chana. To mitigate the farmers' distress condition, Union Minister of Commerce & Industry Shri Kamal Nath in consultation with Shri Sharad Pawar, Union Minister for Agriculture and Minister of consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, decided to lift the ban on export of this particular variety of Chana.

"Department of Commerce have issued Notification No.48 dated 20-02-2007, allowing export of Dollar Chana under permission granted by DGFT. Accordingly, regional offices of DGFT at Bhopal and Hyderabad, Delhi and Mumbai were allowed to issue permissions for 20,000 MTs for Bhopal office and 10,000 MTs for each of Hyderabad, Delhi and Mumbai offices. Subsequently, the decision has been taken to make exports of Kabuli Chana free."