Achieving Self-Sufficiency in Pulses

• 21 Jun 2025

For Prelims: Pulses, Minimum Support Price (MSP), El Niño, Mission for Self-reliance in Pulses, Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay SanraksHan Abhiyan (PM-AASHA) Scheme, Soil Health Cards, PM-AASHA Scheme, Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), Intercropping, Zero-till Farming. 

For Mains: Trends in India’s pulses production and imports, Issues regarding India’s pulses production and import, Measures needed to achieve self-sufficiency in pulses. 

Source: IE 

Why in News? 

Farmers are forced to sell pulses in the open market at low prices despite the government’s Minimum Support Price (MSP), due to inadequate procurement.  

• This reflects a deeper crisis — Indian pulses farmers face neglect in MSP procurement while record imports flood the market, further depressing domestic prices. 

What are Key Facts About Pulses? 

• About: Pulses are edible seeds of leguminous plants, harvested solely for their dry grains, and belong to the Leguminosae (Fabaceae) family. 
  • Pulses are high in protein, fiber, and nutrients, low in fat, act as nitrogen-fixing crops that improve soil fertility, and have a long shelf life when dried. 
• Climatic Conditions: Pulses require 20–27°C temperature, 25–60 cm rainfall, and sandy-loamy soil, and are cultivated year-round. 
  • Rabi Pulses (contribute over 60%): Gram (chickpea), Chana (Bengal gram), Masoor (lentil); they need mild cold for sowing, cold for growth, and warm for harvest. 
  • Kharif Pulses: Moong (green gram), Urad (black gram), Arhar (pigeon pea); they need a warm climate throughout their growth cycle. 
• India’s Production Status: India is the largest producer (25%), consumer (27%), and importer (14%) of pulses globally. Top producing states are Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Karnataka. 
  • Pulses cover 20% of food grain area but contribute only 7–10% of total production, with gram (40%) as the dominant crop, followed by Tur/Arhar (15–20%) and Urad/Black Matpe and Moong (8–10% each). 

• India’s Pulses Import Status: In 2024-25, pulses imports hit an all-time high of 7.3 mt worth USD 5.5 billion in 2024-25, surpassing the 2016-17 record of 6.6 mt and USD 4.2 billion. 
  • The major sources of pulses for India were Canada, Russia, Australia, Mozambique, Tanzania, Myanmar, and the US. 
  • After 2017-18, imports had dipped to an average 2.6 mt (USD 1.7 billion), but El Niño-induced drought in 2023-24 reversed self-sufficiency, with production falling to 24.2 mt, and partly recovering to 25.2 mt in 2024-25. 

What are the Key Reasons Behind Low Pulses Production in India? 

• MSP & Policy Bias: Government MSP policies favor wheat and rice, while subsidies on water, electricity, and fertilizers promote water-intensive crops like paddy, causing farmers to shift away from pulses. 
  • Unlike rice and wheat, pulses procurement is inconsistent, further discouraging their cultivation. 
• Climatic Vulnerabilities: Pulses are mostly grown in rain-fed areas, making them highly dependent on monsoon rains. 
  • They are less resilient to extreme weather than wheat and rice, and suffer frequent damage from droughts, unseasonal rains, and erratic monsoons. 
• Low Productivity & Stagnant Yields: The average yield of pulses in India is 660 kg/ha, below the world average of 909 kg/ha, due to poor seed quality, lack of HYVs, and limited adoption of improved techniques. 
  • Research and development in pulses has seen slow growth compared to cereals like rice and wheat . 
• Fragmented Farming: Most pulse farmers are small and marginal (owning <2 hectares), leading to low economies of scale and difficulty in investing in better seeds, irrigation, and fertilizers. 
• Soil & Pest Challenges: Pulses, being high in proteins, amino acids, and micronutrients, are more prone to pest infestations and attract more pests and diseases than many other crops. 
  • They also face challenges like soil salinity, nutrient deficiencies, and limited use of crop protection technologies due to cost constraint. 

What are India’s Initiatives to Boost Pulses Production? 

• National Mission on High Yielding Seeds 
• National Food Security Mission (NFSM)-Pulses 
• Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay SanraksHan Abhiyan (PM-AASHA) Scheme 
• National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) 
• Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana 

What Measures are Needed to Achieve Self-Sufficiency in Pulses? 

• Increase Productivity: Promote high-yielding, climate and disease-resistant varieties like pigeon pea hybrids and biofortified pulses (e.g., iron-rich lentils) for better yield and nutrition. 
  • Expand micro-irrigation (drip/sprinkler) in key pulse states (MP, Rajasthan, Maharashtra) and utilize rice fallow lands for post-kharif pulses. 
  • Encourage precision farming through soil health cards, sensor-based irrigation, and AI-driven pest management. 
• Policy & MSP Reforms: Strengthen MSP procurement by ensuring timely purchase of pulses and expanding the PM-AASHA scheme to cover more farmers. 
  • Rebalance subsidies by reducing support for water-intensive crops (rice, sugarcane) to promote pulses, and encourage crop diversification from paddy-wheat monoculture to pulses and millets through incentives. 
• Improve Storage: Expand modern warehousing, silos, and hermetic storage to reduce post-harvest losses of pulses (currently 5-10%) and strengthen processing infrastructure with support for mini dal mills, fortification, and packaging near farms. 
  • Promote direct market linkages by encouraging Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) to help farmers bypass middlemen. 
• Boost Research & Extension Services: Increase R&D funding to develop short-duration, high-yield varieties like early-maturing moong for multiple cropping. 
  • Expand Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) to train farmers in intercropping (e.g., cotton and pulses), zero-till farming, and Integrated Pest Management (IPM). 
• Buffer Stock Policy: Maintain a dynamic buffer stock of 2.5–3 million tonnes to cushion price shocks, and regulate imports by imposing tariffs in surplus years while allowing imports during shortages. 

Conclusion 

India’s pulses sector faces challenges of low MSP procurement, climate vulnerability, and rising imports, hurting farmers despite record production. To achieve self-sufficiency, policy reforms, better procurement, R&D in high-yield varieties, and storage infrastructure are crucial. Balancing imports with domestic incentives can stabilize prices, boost farmer incomes, and ensure food security. 

Drishti Mains Question:

"Despite being the largest producer of pulses, India remains heavily import-dependent." Discuss the key challenges in India’s pulses sector and suggest measures to achieve self-sufficiency.

UPSC Civil Services Examination, Previous Year Question (PYQ) 

Prelims 

Q. With reference to pulse production in India, consider the following statements: (2020) 

1. Black gram can be cultivated as both kharif and rabi crop. 
2. Green gram alone accounts for nearly half of pulse production. 
3. In the last three decades, while the production of kharif pulses has increased, the production of rabi pulses has decreased. 

Which of the statements given above is/are correct? 

(a) 1 only  

(b) 2 and 3 only  

(c) 2 only 

(d) 1, 2 and 3 

Ans: (a) 

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Mains 

Q. Explain various types of revolutions, took place in Agriculture after Independence in India. How have these revolutions helped in poverty alleviation and food security in India? (2017)