Textbook Solutions: Wholesale Pulse Market of Posta | Window on the Word Class 7: Solutions, Notes & Worksheets PDF Download

A. Fill in the blanks.

B. Answer In one or two sentences.

1.
Ans: The text does not provide information on the three key varieties of pulses that are grown in India.

2.
Ans: The three Indian states that are known to be the biggest producers of pulses are Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra.

3.
Ans:  Pulse farmers are unable to wait till they get the right prices for their crop because the prices fluctuate greatly and fall steeply at the time of the harvest.

4.
Ans: Pulses grown all across India arrive in Posta by the services of transport agencies who bring them by truck.

5.
Ans: A private initiative that is now allowing the farmers to protect their own interests is ITC Ltd.'s E-Choupal.

C. Answer in a paragraph.

1.
Ans: The journey of pulses from the field to the wholesale market in Posta begins in fields in different parts of India. Once harvested, the pulses go through the hands of different intermediaries like local traders who own milling machines or have tie-ups with local mills. They process the pulses, add their own prices, and sell them to local wholesalers. These wholesalers then sell it to wholesalers based in different regions who hire transport agencies to bring the pulses to Daalposta. Trucks carrying pulses in bulk arrive in Posta throughout a working day from different states of India. Upon arrival, the pulses are unloaded and stored in warehouses owned by the wholesalers. These wholesalers then take small samples of the pulses and display them to other wholesalers and retailers who arrive from all over West Bengal to buy these goods. The pulses are then transported to shops by retailers where they are packed into packets of different weights and displayed for consumers to buy.

2.
Ans: Despite requiring much less water to grow than crops like rice and wheat, pulses are not the first choice of most Indian farmers because they earn barely any profit. The government does not have a Minimum Support Price (MSP) in place for pulses, leaving farmers who grow pulses at the mercy of market forces and unscrupulous intermediaries. The prices fluctuate greatly, falling steeply at the time of the harvest, compelling the farmers to sell their crops at the prevailing market prices, however low they might be.

3.
Ans: Wholesalers justify the fact that the price at which consumers buy pulses is almost double the price at which farmers sell their crop due to the services they provide, like processing the pulses, storing them, and transporting them to the market. The wholesalers also take on a lot of risk as the rates of pulses fluctuate and pulses cannot be stored for more than 2-3 months. To protect the farmer's interests, many farmers are forming cooperatives to fight market irregularities. The government has also launched programmes to increase awareness among farmers about soil management techniques and private initiatives such as ITC Ltd.'s E-Choupal are also helping protect the interests of the farmers.