Has India's Reliance on Imported Pulses Dropped?

New Delhi, Sep 4 (NationPress) India has notably reduced its dependence on imported pulses from 6.61 million tonnes (MT) in 2016-17 to 2.496 MT by 2022-23. This shift has been largely driven by government initiatives, including a substantial rise in the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for key pulse crops, encouraging farmers to boost their cultivation, according to a report from NITI Aayog.

As a result, the area designated for pulse farming expanded by 26.6 per cent, increasing from 23.55 million hectares (Mha) in 2014-15 to 29.81 Mha in 2017-18. Between 2014-15 and 2021-22, pulse production experienced a remarkable rise from 17.15 MT to 27.302 MT, achieving a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 6.87 per cent, the highest yet recorded.

Nonetheless, India's reliance on imports increased in the 2023-24 fiscal year due to an unexpected El Niño weather pattern that adversely affected local crops.

Forecasts indicate that total pulse production is set to rise steadily, with expectations of reaching 34.45 MT by 2030 and 51.57 MT by 2047, up from 26.06 MT in 2022.

To attain self-sufficiency, India needs to implement a comprehensive strategy focusing on three essential pillars: enhancing value addition and minimizing post-harvest losses in pulses, expanding the land for pulse cultivation (horizontal expansion), and boosting productivity (vertical expansion), as stated in the NITI Aayog report titled ‘Strategies and pathways for accelerating growth in pulses.’

Utilizing just one-third of the total rice fallow area across 10 states for pulse cultivation could significantly augment domestic output by as much as 2.85 MT.

Additionally, intercropping pulses with sugarcane in regions such as Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra can free up an extra 3 Mha of cultivable land, potentially yielding an additional 2.4 MT of pulses.

Similarly, optimizing the rice-wheat cropping system in states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Haryana can create space for an additional 4 Mha of pulse cultivation, which could boost production by 2.8 MT (ICAR-IIPR 2024).

Overall, these initiatives could lead to an extra 8.05 MT of pulse production, advancing India's journey towards self-sufficiency, according to the report.

By tackling factors like seed quality, feed, and wastage, the pulse supply could rise by 10.7 MT, thereby enhancing farmer profitability and fortifying agricultural resilience, the report further asserts.

The report also emphasizes that to ensure sustainable and productive pulse cultivation, effective management strategies addressing both abiotic and biotic stresses are essential. These stresses, which include drought, heat, pests, and diseases, can have a significant effect on yield and quality.

It underscores the importance of developing various pulse varieties through genetic diversity and innovative breeding. India possesses a rich genetic reservoir of pulse crops, with the ICAR–National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR) maintaining around 70,000 accessions.

However, much of this genetic potential remains underutilized. To optimize these resources, breeding programs should be modernized to effectively harness desirable traits and produce enhanced varieties.

By leveraging modern techniques such as genomics, the varietal development process can be expedited, reducing the time required to bring superior varieties to market. Key aims include improving genetic potential and increasing tolerance to various stresses.

A higher Varietal Replacement Rate (VRR) is vital for enhancing crop yield, as newer varieties generally demonstrate better resistance to diseases, pests, and extreme weather conditions. To effectively reach grassroots farmers, a clear strategy is required, encompassing the distribution of seed mini-kits and bolstering agricultural extension services through local officer training and demonstration plots. Partnering with organizations like KVKs, FPOs, and cooperatives can further facilitate more affordable and accessible seed procurement and distribution, as per the report.

The report also stresses the necessity for value addition and minimizing post-harvest losses in pulses, which occur at various stages, from harvest to consumer consumption. These losses are primarily due to factors like grain shattering during harvest, spillage during processing, and mishandling. To mitigate these losses and enhance the overall efficiency of the pulse value chain, it is critical to adopt advanced post-harvest technologies and best practices.

Over the last five years (2017-18 to 2022-23), India's pulse sector has seen a modest growth rate of approximately 2.5 per cent. If this growth trajectory persists, it will be adequate to satisfy the projected demand based solely on population growth.

However, the High-Income Growth (HIG) scenario presents an even more daunting forecast. In this scenario, a considerably steeper CAGR of 6.69 per cent is necessary for the 2022-2030 period. To achieve the long-term vision of self-sufficiency by 2047, a CAGR of 2.7 per cent, which slightly exceeds recent growth rates, will be essential from 2022 to 2047, the report concluded.