Per capita consumption of pulses declines

While the Government seemingly content after harvesting rich over the Rs 2-a-kg rice scheme, the very `pulse’ of the nutritio security seem to be at stake in Orissa. At around Rs 90 a kg in the retail market, spiralling prices of pulses has robbed the aam admi of the most potent nutritional source.If the latest Assocham prognosis of further rise in prices of pulses nationally is to be considered, the coming days are set to heap more misery on the common man. The report holds near stagnant yield and acreage as the prime reasons behind abnormal rise in prices. It says per capita availability and consumption of pulses are declining fast and could cast a shadow on nutriotional security.Orissa testifies the conclusions positively. Per capita availability of pulses in the State in 1971-72 was 32 gm a day which has now slipped to around 20 gm. Per capita consumption was at 26 gm/day in 2000-01 and now at only 11 gm/day.The downslide can be attributed to mismatches in actual requirement and actual production. When the State’s total requirement of pulses stood at 7 lakh tonne, the production in 2007-08 was only 3.84 lakh tonne.Thus it depends on supply for other States to meet its pulses requirements.The State is feeling the pinch very acutely as the total pulses availability in the country has reflected a growth of mere 1.39 per cent annually during the last two decades while the population has increased at more than 1.8 per cent. This has led to a decline in per capita availability from 16 kg a year to 12.7 kg a year during the period.Reports are that cereals are being used as replacement to the pulses in rural areas thanks to the Rs 2-a-kg rice scheme. The National Nutritional Monitoring Bureau (NNMB) says nutritional security is ensured by comparatively high content of pulses in diet, thus, there is the need to substitute cereals by pulses and not vice versa.Orissa has the second largest undernourished population in the country and also its adult population has the highest chronic energy deficiency (CED) with 39 and 46 per cent for males and females respectively.This abnormal situation could make it much worse unless the Government pitches in with some interventions as market trends show that the prices are set to cool down only in November.