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Challenges to Self-Sufficiency in Pulses: India's Production, Imports, and Policy Reforms

Self-sufficiency of pulses in India
Self-sufficiency of pulses in India

Pulses form the backbone of Indian agriculture and nutrition, playing a crucial role in the country’s food security. Over the years, significant changes have been observed in the trends of pulse production and processing in India. Despite being the world's largest producer and cultivator of pulses, India still spends ₹32,000 crore annually on pulse imports. Let’s take a closer look at the current state of pulses in the country.

Current Scenario of Pulses in India:

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, India is the world’s largest pulse-producing country, contributing 28% to global production. Additionally, India utilizes the highest land area for pulse cultivation, covering 38% of the total global acreage.

As per FAO’s 2022 data:

  1. Global pulse cultivation area: 95.96 million hectares
  2. Global pulse production: 97.39 million tons
  3. Global average productivity: 1,015 kg/hectare

However, India’s performance in terms of productivity remains concerning:

  1. India’s total pulse cultivation area: 36.11 million hectares
  2. India’s total pulse production: 27.67 million tons
  3. India’s productivity rate: Only 766 kg/hectare, one of the lowest in the world

Low Productivity Leading to High Imports: While India has a vast cultivation area and significant production capacity, its pulse productivity is extremely low. This results in a supply-demand gap, forcing the country to rely heavily on imports to meet domestic consumption needs.

Pulse Imports in 2023-24:

  1. ₹31,071 crore spent on pulse imports, marking a 97% increase from the previous year
  2. 2022-23 imports stood at ₹15,780 crore
  3. India’s highest pulse import level was in 2016-17, reaching ₹28,300 crore, when 6.6 million tons of pulses were imported

Need for Policy Reforms in India’s Pulse Sector:

  1. Providing farmers with high-yielding pulse seeds
  2. Promoting modern agricultural techniques and crop rotation
  3. Improving water management and irrigation infrastructure
  4. Strengthening Minimum Support Price (MSP) policies and government procurement mechanisms
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