Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar today expressed concern over domestic production of pulses trailing behind the increasing demand.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a function, Mr. Pawar said a lot of work need to be done to bridge the supply gap.

The minister said, this year, domestic pulses output is expected to reach 16.5-17 million tonnes. However, he said, still there will be a small gap and will probably be met through imports.

He said, till 2009-10, the country's production of pulses remained at a level of 14 million tonnes, against the annual demand of about 18 million tonnes. Mr. Pawar added, in 2010-11, the domestic output improved to 18.24 million tonnes.

Noting that there is no worry about wheat production getting affected due to yellow rust disease in some states like Punjab and Haryana, Mr. Pawar said the disease is not that serious that will affect yields.

The minister said that the country's total foodgrains production is expected to touch a record 250 million tones this year due to policy initiatives adopted in last two years especially in eastern states.