Preparing the ground for self-sufficiency in pulses

India’s mission for self-sufficiency in pulses appears to be distant dream with output falling for the third consecutive year in 2024-25.

Pulses output estimate stood at around 23 million tonnes (mt) for 2024-25, down 15 per cent from 27.3 mt peak recorded in 2021-22, per the Agriculture Ministry’s second advance estimates released on March 10.

The output decline is primarily due to the fall in area under cultivation of pulses by about 17 per cent to 255 lakh hectares in 2024-25 from about 307 lakh hectares in 2021-22.

The steady hike in minimum support price (MSP) and assurance to procurement at MSP has apparently not motivated farmers adequately to shift to pulses from cereals.

Among the major pulses, urad acreage shrunk by about 41 per cent in the past three years to 27 lakh hectares in 2024-25 from 46 lakh hectares in 2021-22. Although the cultivated area of tur, chana and moong increased in 2024-25 by 1.6 per cent, 3.7 per cent and 7 per cent compared to 2023-24, it is still significantly lower by 14 per cent, 7 per cent and 36 per cent respectively seen in 2021-22. To meet domestic demand, pulses import shot up by 78 per cent at 4.86 mt during April-December 2024-25 from 2.8 mt in April-December 2024-24.

Import surge

Further, the import numbers for calendar 2024 stood at a record 6.8 mt, an 88 per cent jump over 3.6 mt in 2023, per latest Commerce Ministry figures.

Consequently, prices of pulses started shooting up from June 2023 and remained high almost for a year and a half, particularly of tur (red gram) urad (black gram) and chana (Bengal gram).

While prices of tur and urad moderated slightly from December 2024 with the fresh arrivals from kharif harvest, inflation of chana remained high at 12 per cent in February 2025, per March CPI figures.

Apart from being a staple, pulses also are the main affordable source of protein for the economically weaker sections. Persistently high pulses price may adversely impact nutritional security.

The government proposed a six-year Mission for Atmanirbharata in pulses with an outlay of ₹1,000 crore in this year’s Budget.

The mission focuses on ensuring remunerative prices by procuring all the quantities of tur, urad and masoor offered for sale at MSP for the next four years. But more comprehensive strategies to achieve self-sufficiency and reduce imports are needed.

The way forward

Apart from the uncertainties over remunerative prices, pulses production is weighed down by challenges in their cultivation including stagnant, extremely low and uncertain yields compared to cereals, lack of timely availability of manual labour for harvesting, pod shattering, lack of mechanisation, lack of awareness and adoption of improved varieties and cultivation practices. Yields of pulses, except for chana, has remained stagnant in the last five decades,.

The extent of irrigated area is only around 7 per cent for tur, according to Agricultural Statistics at a Glance 2023. Pulses cultivation is confined to unirrigated and degraded lands that are not suitable for cereal cultivation thereby leading to low productivity and production.

Another major challenge especially in tur and urad, is pod shattering, which requires timely manual picking or harvesting. Labour shortage during harvesting at this crucial period often leads to substantial losses, discouraging farmers from cultivating pulses.

These challenges need to be addressed with the requisite research and development of farm machines for harvesting in the short to medium term and improved varieties with synchronised maturity and shattering resistant pods in the long term.

Reddy is Joint Director, School of Crop Health Policy Support Research (SCHPSR) ICAR-National Institute of Biotic Stress Management (ICAR-NIBSM), Raipur; Lingareddy is Senior Economist, Sustainable Finance and Agriculture, Mumbai. Views are personal