India is the largest producer (~28% of global output) and consumer of pulses in the world.
Strategic Importance of Pulses for India: Nutritional Security (budget-friendly source of plant-based protein), Sustainable Development (fixes nitrogen, enhancing soil fertility, mitigating GHG emissions).
Challenges in India’s Pulse Production
- Low Productivity and Yield Gap: India's average pulse yield is 0.740 tonnes per hectare (t/ha), which is significantly lower than the global average of 0.969 t/ha.
- Shift to more Profitable Crops: Farmers are increasingly shifting to more profitable crops such as banana, cotton, sugarcane, and soybean, which offer higher returns and often have shorter cultivation periods.
- Declining Sowing Area: The pulses sowing area has gradually reduced by 10.5% (from 2021-22 to 2023-24), with production declining by 11.2% in two years.
- Rainfall dependency: Nearly 80% of pulse-growing areas are rainfed, making cultivation highly vulnerable to erratic weather conditions.
Strategies and Roadmap for Self-Sufficiency
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