India has dropped the option of leasing land to grow pulses in the southeast African nation of Mozambique on the grounds that it is a “politically sensitive issue”.
India has dropped the option of leasing land to grow pulses in the southeast African nation of Mozambique on the grounds that it is a “politically sensitive issue”. India will instead sign an MoU with Mozambique for import of at least one lakh tonnes of pulses (arhar and tur dal) during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s forthcoming visit to that nation, but will ensure that the concerned Mozambique farmers are paid their minimum support prices, Amar Sinha, secretary (economic relations), the ministry of external affairs, said on Monday.
Mozambique will be the first stop of Mr Modi’s Africa visit, on July 7, following which he will visit South Africa on July 8 and 9, Tanzania on July 10 and Kenya on July 10 and 11.
India is continuing its policy of economic engagement with Africa even as China is investing billions of dollars in the African continent. Observers say India is trying hard to catch up, given China’s head start.
There was speculation earlier that New Delhi may lease land to grow pulses in Mozambique to tide over shortages of pulses and rising prices in India. But New Delhi seems to have decided that leasing land in a foreign country could be politically sensitive and risky. India has gone in for the easier option — direct import of pulses. The government has been drawing a lot of criticism over the past few months over rising prices of pulses. Under the likely MoU with Mozambique, India may support a network of farmers in the African country who will be given logistical support, technology and seeds and pulses will be procured from them through government agencies.
Apart from agriculture and food, deepening cooperation in areas of hydrocarbons, maritime security, and trade and investment will also be major focus areas of Mr Modi’s African tour.
India will also look at expanding cooperation with Mozambique in the hydrocarbons sector. Mozambique is the third-largest exporter of natural gas, after Qatar and Australia, and a number of Indian companies, including ONGC, have invested heavily in the hydrocarbons sector in that country.
