OREANDA-NEWS. March 10, 2011. If there is a single food dish that reaches the core of every Indian’s heart, it is a warm cup of a simple, home-cooked dal (pulses). Dals are not only a rich source of protein, but also the mainstay of every Indian’s diet. In order to reach out to people across geographies to meet their staple need, Tata Chemicals (TCL) extended its i-Shakti brand of salt to introduce a range of pulses. Post the successful launch of i-Shakti Dals in Mumbai in December 2010, this range was introduced in Delhi today. i-Shakti Dals will be available in four popular varieties i.e., chana, toor, urad and moong (including green moong and green chilka).

The pulses range has been reasonably priced between MRP Rs95 to Rs105 for a one-kg pack and will be available in SKUs of one kg, 500g and 250g.

Apart from the traditional kirana stores and modern format food retail chains, TCL will utilise its Tata Kisan Sansar outlets as well as its existent strong salt-distribution network to distribute the i-Shakti Dals range across the country.

Speaking on the launch of the pulses in Delhi, Ashvini Hiran, chief operating officer, consumer products division, TCL, said, “We are happy to introduce yet another first in staples for the households, dals which are a result of due care taken in every process — from seed to food, therefore the term ‘from farm to fork’. Dals are a rich source of protein and an integral part of almost every Indian meal. i-Shakti was launched with the mission to not only bridge the existing gap between demand and supply of pulses in the country; but also provide better / reliable quality, hygienic pulses to Indian households. The range on offer is a reasonably priced product bundle to the consumers for the convenience and better health of their families.”

The Indian population is majorly dominated by vegetarians, and coupled with a stagnant domestic production, the country is faced with domestic-supply gap.

Today, the annual supply is 15 million tonnes, whereas the demand exceeds 18 million tonnes! Thus, creating a dependence on imports and pushing prices of pulses steadily over other food commodities in recent years.

Taking cognisance of this situation, TCL and Rallis India (Rallis) joined hands to leverage upon their strength with a large section of farmers across India. Tata Chemicals with its wide reach in northern and eastern India, and Rallis with a strong network in southern and western India, successfully completed pilot projects towards the ‘farm to fork’ aspiration.

Under the aegis ‘Grow More Pulses’, launched as a public, private partnership (PPP) in Punjab and Tamil Nadu respectively, the farming community in India was induced to cultivate pulses, through which the procurement and marketing of i-Shakti Dals is undertaken.