AHMEDABAD: Chinese suppliers are increasingly serving rajma, or red kidney beans, in the domestic market, supplanting traditional growers of the north Indian delicacy from centres such as Jammu & Kashmir that are rapidly succumbing to the flavour of global competition.

An astounding 90% of rajma consumed in the country are already being imported, experts say, adding the world's largest production base of China has added the crop to its menu of exports in a big way.



"Imports of rajma are picking up, with China establishing itself as a dominant player," says Pravin Dongre, president of the India Pulses and Grains Association.



Chinese exporters have employed much the same recipe that has made their country the leading global manufacturer, offering quality rajma from Dalian and Tainjin at lower prices than competitors.



"Rajma is a must-buy for pilgrims coming to Vaishno Devi or other shrines here. Unknown to them, the small red rajma comes from China via Delhi to Jammu," says Rakesh Gupta, owner of Madan Prakash Sanjeev Kumar Commission Agents in Jammu's wholesale wheat market.

CHINA HAS OVERTAKEN MYANMAR



Traders say that although India has been importing rajma for the past 15-20 years, China has now overtaken Myanmar as the biggest exporter while newer players such as Ethiopia have also entered the market recently.



As per industry estimates, India imports 50,000-60,000 tonnes rajma every year and the figure is growing at a healthy 10%. While the chitra variety accounts for 80% of the imports, the dark red sharmili rajma makes up the rest.



The best rajma, connoisseurs say, used to come from Bhaderwah and Kishtwar in Jammu & Kashmir, but this is changing fast as many rajma growers in the state, just like their counterparts in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, have switched to maize, soyabean and turmeric.



"Farmers find sowing soyabean more remunerative than rajma," says Radheshyam Bhandari, who is among the biggest traders in Maharashtra's Satara district.



Murli Krishna, an Andhra Pradesh-based trader from Tuni station, which is famous for the sharmili variety of rajma, says farmers have shifted to growing turmeric and herbs such as ganthoda. "At 2,000 tonnes, the crop is just 15-20% of what it used to be," Krishna says, adding that untimely rains have also contributed to the switch.

According to traders, Satara has contributed just 1,500 tonnes to the state's output of 30,000 tonnes this year. Pune and Sangli, which, along with Satara, are known for the chitra variety of cream rajma with a red line, have also witnessed a gradual fall in production over the years.



This year, delayed rains, in June-July, followed by unseasonal rains in September, reduced the crop drastically in Jammu & Kashmir.



"We see a robust demand as consumers even in south India are enjoying the north Indian delicacy," says Fakirchand Jindal, owner of Delhi-based Fakir Chand Vinod Kumar and Company, who imported 800 containers of 24 tonnes each last year. Jindal, one of the leading importers of rajma, adds contracts have been signed at $1,325 (about Rs 72,000) a tonne this year, compared with $1,500 (about Rs 81,500) a tonne last year, despite the fall in supply in the domestic market.



India is the world's leading producer, consumer and importer of pulses. According to the Kanpur-based Indian Institute of Pulses Research, India produces about 17 million tonnes of pulses and imports about 3 million tonnes annually. The imports include yellow peas, chickpeas, pigeon peas, black gram and rajma from Australia and Canada, besides China and Myanmar.