What Roadmap Has NITI Aayog Created for Atmanirbhar Bharat in Pulses?

New Delhi, Sep 5 (NationPress) NITI Aayog’s recent report titled ‘Strategies and Pathways for Accelerating Growth in Pulses towards the Goal of Atmanirbharta’ highlights crucial insights about the pulse sector in India. The report reveals a promising trend of increasing pulse production in the country. Notably, India stands as the largest global producer and consumer of pulses, which are integral to the Indian diet, providing an affordable and sustainable source of plant-based protein and essential micronutrients. Additionally, pulses are abundant in fibre, vitamins, and minerals, supporting the health of both humans and animals.

The significance of this report is underscored by its impact on the livelihoods of over five crore farmers and their families, making the pulse sector critical to rural economies and the vision of ‘Atmanirbharta’. The Union Budget 2025-26 had introduced a six-year ‘Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses,’ focusing primarily on Tur, Urad, and Masoor.

To address challenges like crop shortfalls and price fluctuations, the government upholds a buffer stock of major pulses—including Tur, Urad, Chana, Moong, and Masur—under the Price Stabilisation Fund (PSF) for market interventions. This enables the procurement and storage of pulses for regulated release to satisfy market demands.

A statement from the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution on April 1 revealed that the government holds approximately 15.75 LMT of major pulses in stock. Moreover, to enhance domestic availability and manage price volatility, duty-free imports of Tur and Urad have been permitted until March 31, 2026.

The Standing Committee on Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, and Food Processing, in its First Report Demands for Grants (2024-25) submitted in December 2024, noted that pulse production has risen from 198 lakh tonne in 2013-14 to 242.46 lakh tonne in 2023-24. However, the actual production in 2023-24 fell short of the target by about 50.04 LMT. India imported 47.39 LMT of pulses to bolster stock, while exports reached approximately 6 LMT.

According to the government’s third advance estimates for 2024-25, production is projected to be around 252.38 LMT, against a target of 299 LMT.

As of August 15, the area under pulse cultivation increased by 1.14 lakh hectare over the 108.39 lakh hectare achieved in 2024-25. Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Ramnath Thakur revealed that production dropped by about 18.12 LMT in 2023-24 compared to 2022-23.

Despite a decline in production in 2022-23 by approximately 12.44 LMT, imports decreased by around 2 LMT, but exports surged from 3.87 LMT in 2021-22 to 7.63 LMT.

Pulses are procured under the Minimum Support Price (MSP) set by the government. In the last marketing season (2024-25), 2.46 LMT of Tur was procured by March 25 this year.

This report is based on a survey conducted by NITI Aayog involving 885 farmers across five leading pulse-producing states: Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka. The findings led to over a dozen recommendations aimed at bolstering the pulse sector, enhancing domestic output, and promoting sustainability. These recommendations advocate for area retention and diversification through targeted crop-wise clustering, the adoption of tailored technologies for diverse agro-ecological sub-regions, and a focus on distributing high-quality seeds and treatment kits in 111 high-potential districts contributing to 75% of the national output. Additionally, they propose establishing “One Block-One Seed Village” cluster-based hubs facilitated by Farmers Producers Organisations.

As emphasized, proactive measures for climate adaptation and data-driven transformation through comprehensive monitoring and decision-support systems are essential for revolutionizing the sector and achieving Atmanirbharta.