India's Pulses Management
India manages its significant demand for pulses through a combination of import policy, price stabilization, and conditional Minimum Support Price (MSP) procurement. These strategies are essential in balancing consumer affordability and farmer interests.
Import Policy Challenges
- Imports play a crucial role by filling the gap between demand (3 crore tonnes) and domestic production (around 2.5 crore tonnes).
- Import decisions can impact household spending but may adversely affect domestic farmers, particularly in a politically sensitive environment post-2020-21 farm law protests.
Domestic Production Issues
- Pulses are key to non-cereal protein intake and support approximately 5 crore farmers.
- The absence of a reliable MSP regime like that for rice and wheat leads to organized neglect.
- Challenges include inadequate procurement centers and unpredictable procurement under the Price Support Scheme (fluctuating between 2.9% and 12.4% of production from 2019-24).
- Farmers are often compelled to sell to private traders due to inadequate procurement infrastructure.
Government Initiatives and Farmer Skepticism
- The government announced the October 2025 self-sufficiency Mission with an ₹11,440 crore outlay, targeting 310 lakh hectares and 350 lakh tonnes production by 2030-31.
- Despite these initiatives, farmers remain skeptical due to past unmet promises.
Impact of U.S. Trade Agreement
- The mention of pulses in the U.S.-India trade deal to open markets to American agri-imports alarmed Indian farmers as it could depress domestic prices.
- This move would contradict the government's self-sufficiency Mission.
Proposed Solutions
- Addressing procurement infrastructure deficits and providing genuine MSP guarantees are crucial.
- Investments in productivity improvements for rain-fed areas and creating market systems that reward pulse cultivation are needed.
Until structural reforms are implemented, pulse farmers will remain vulnerable, and India will continue its dependency on imports, highlighting food security vulnerabilities and political sensitivities in trade agreements favoring foreign producers.
