URAD PRODUCTION IN INDIA

Production of Urad in India

India is the largest producer of black gram in the world. The annual production of urad in India is around 1.5 million tons contributing around 10% of the total quantity of pulses produced in India. The major states that produce black gram or urad in India are

• Madhya Pradesh
• Uttar Pradesh
• Punjab
• Maharashtra
• West Bengal
• Andhra Pradesh
• Orissa
• Tamil Nadu
• Karnataka

The area under the cultivation of urad in the country is about 2.5 million hectares. Madhya Pradesh is the leading producer of black gram in India. Two varieties of urad are produced in the country – Desi and T9. Most of these urad producing areas in India produce Desi urad. Also there is a significant price difference between these two types of the pulse, Desi being more expensive than T9.

Pulses dominantly constitute the staple diet of the people in India. India has always been the largest producer, consumer and importer of pulses. The same trends follows in the context of Urad or the black gram. Urad has been consumed widely in India since very long. It is one of the most important and highly prized pulses in India. Due to the fermenting capability of this pulse, it is used widely in fermented foods that are the specialty of South Indian cuisine.

Indian Urad market

The production of urad in India hovers around 1.3 to 1.5 million tons annually. It is approximately 10% of the total pulses produced in India. Madhya Pradesh leads the production figures of this crop in India. Urad’s consumption pattern is quite dispersed as it is used in most of the regions in India. Though the per capita consumption of urad has declined over the years, consumption level of this crop is too high to be fulfilled by the country’s domestic production. That is why it has to rely upon imports from other countries. The countries that export urad to India are

• Myanmar
• Thailand
• Singapore
• Australia

Around 90% of the imports are contributed by the imports from Myanmar and the rest of the countries fill up the remaining gap in the country’s demand & supply. India imports around 35000 tons of black gram and the trend in these imports has been increasing constantly.