Why in the News?

India, though the world’s largest producer and consumer of pulses, continues to face chronic supply-demand imbalance, threatening food security and farm incomes.

Introduction

The Union Cabinet (1 October 2025) approved the ₹11,440 crore “Mission for Atmanirbharta in Pulses”, a 6-year programme (FY26–FY31) to achieve self-sufficiency in pulse production.
The initiative responds to surging imports of $5.5 billion in FY25, the highest ever, amid stagnating domestic yields and acreage.
India, though the world’s largest producer and consumer of pulses, continues to facea chronic supply-demand imbalance, threatening food security and farm incomes.

Value Addition: Pulses and their Production in India

Overview: Pulses are edible seeds of leguminous plants (family Fabaceae), cultivated for dry grains such as gram, tur, urad, masoor, and moong.
Nutritional Role: Rich in protein, fiber, micronutrients, and amino acids; low in fat and vital for nutritional security.
Agro-Climatic Range: Grown in both kharif and rabi seasons, requiring 20–27°C temperature and 25–60 cm rainfall.
Production Share: India produces ~25 million tonnes, accounting for 25% of global output, yet consumes 27%, making it the largest producer, consumer, and importer.
Crop Composition: As per FY2024, Gram (~40%), Tur/Arhar (15–20%), Moong/Urad (8–10%) dominate; pulses occupy 20% of grain area but only 7–10% of total foodgrain output.
Regional Spread: Major producers are- Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, UP, Karnataka.
Crop Share: Pulses occupy 20 % of grain area but yield only 7–10 % of output; gram 40 %, tur 15–20 %, moong/urad 8–10 %.

Why Farmers shifted away from Pulses?

Price Disparity: Market prices often 14–28% below MSP, due to cheap imports (e.g., yellow peas from Canada at ₹3,000/quintal vs MSP ₹5,875).
Import Competition: Duty-free imports from Canada, Australia, Mozambique, Myanmar suppress domestic demand.
Policy Bias: Procurement, subsidies, and irrigation facilities favour rice and wheat, not pulses.
Low Productivity: Pulses mostly grown on rain-fed, marginal lands, highly vulnerable to droughts, erratic monsoons, and poor irrigation.
Market Risk: Weak procurement and delayed payments reduce confidence in government price support.
Limited R&D: Poor availability of improved seed varieties and inadequate extension support for pest management and soil health.

Key Structural Challenges:

MSP and Procurement Gaps: Inconsistent purchase operations discourage adoption of pulses over cereals.
Climatic Vulnerability: Rain-fed dependence leads to high risk from El Niño, floods, or dry spells.
Low Yields: National average at 740 kg/ha, below global mean of 949 kg/ha and far below Canada/USA (1,800+ kg/ha).
Small Landholdings: Over 85% small and marginal farmers lack capital for irrigation and mechanisation.
Soil and Pest Constraints: Nutrient deficiency, salinity, and frequent pest attacks hinder productivity.
Institutional Weakness: Fragmented R&D ecosystem and weak integration between seed research, extension, and procurement systems.

Import Trends and Dependence:

Import Bill Growth: From $1.6 billion (FY21) to $5.5 billion (FY25) i.e a 3.4× surge.
Sources: Australia and Canada (peas), Myanmar, Tanzania, Mozambique (tur/arhar).
Volume: 7.3 million tonnes imported in 2024-25 surpassing the 2016-17 record.
Drivers: Stagnant domestic output (~25 Mt for five years) and rising urban consumption.
Top Importers: Canada, Russia, Australia, Mozambique, Tanzania, Myanmar, USA.

Economic and Social Dimensions:

Production Rise: From 19.2 Mt (FY14) to 24.4 Mt (FY24), yet consumption still exceeds supply.
Consumption Growth: Rising incomes and protein awareness push demand upward.
Trade Imbalance: India remains both largest producer (25 %) and largest importer (14 %) of global pulses.

Benefits of Pulses Cultivation:

Environmental Sustainability: Pulses require less water and lower chemical inputs than cereals.
Soil Fertility: Through biological nitrogen fixation, they enrich soil nitrogen, improving yield for subsequent crops.
Reduced Fertilizer Use: Lower dependence on synthetic urea reduces subsidy burden and emissions.
Soil Structure and Water Retention: Root systems enhance porosity, carbon content, and microbial biodiversity.
Pest and Disease Management: Crop rotation with pulses suppresses soil-borne pathogens and reduces pesticide dependency.
Carbon Sequestration: Residue incorporation increases soil organic carbon, mitigating greenhouse gas emissions.
Economic Efficiency: Arvind Subramanian Committee (2016) estimated a ₹13,000/ha higher social benefit for Tur vis-à-vis rice cultivation due to water and emission savings.

Way Forward:

Seed Innovation: Intensify research through ICAR–IIPR and utilise India’s 70,000 germplasm accessions for high-yielding, climate-resilient strains.
Area Expansion: Promote rice-fallow pulse rotation in eastern India and intercropping systems in semi-arid regions.
Assured Procurement: Scale up NAFED and NCCF-led MSP operations, ensuring timely payments.
Infrastructure Support: Strengthen warehousing, milling, and processing hubs near production clusters.
Import Rationalisation: Impose variable tariffs to protect domestic farmers from global price volatility.
Sustainability Integration: Incentivise pulse cultivation under carbon farming and sustainable agriculture missions.

PYQ Relevance:

[UPSC 2017] Mention the advantages of the cultivation of pulse because of which the year 2016 was declared as the International Year of Pulses by the United Nations.

[UPSC 2020] With reference to pulse production in India, consider the following statements:

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

Linkage: Pulses imports often strain the Balance of Payments (BoP) and affect food inflation (a topic tested in 2024 Mains). Achieving self-sufficiency saves foreign exchange and helps manage domestic price volatility.

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