Chanimport duty hiked by government 10% The government had, in December, imposed 30 per cent duty on chana imports to restrict fall in domestic prices.
The bearish sentiment in chana market, however, continued due to expectation of a bumper output this rabi season at a time when supplies from last season are already high.
Pulses output rose sharply in 2016-17 (July-June) to a record high of 22.95 million tonnes (mt) against 16.35 mt a year ago, data from the Agriculture Ministry showed.
Chana production in the country was at 9.33 mt in 2016-17, up from 7.06 mt a year ago.
During this rabi season, farmers in the country had sown chana across10.72 million hectares, up 8.3 per cent on year, data released by the Agriculture Ministry showed.
Hike in import duty on chana would restrict purchases, boost domestic prices and safeguard interests of farmers, traders said.
Pakistani imports
