NITI Aayog: India’s pulse imports reduced
New Delhi
India has reduced its dependence on imported pulses, falling from 6.61 million tonnes in 2016-17 to 2.49 million tonnes in 2022-23, according to a NITI Aayog report. The rise in Minimum Support Price (MSP) for key crops and government schemes encouraged farmers to grow more pulses. As a result, the cultivation area expanded by 26.6% between 2014-15 and 2017-18, while production rose from 17.15 MT to 27.3 MT by 2021-22, recording the highest growth rate so far.
Despite this progress, import dependence spiked again in 2023-24 due to El Niño damaging crops. Still, production is expected to grow steadily, reaching 34.45 MT by 2030 and 51.57 MT by 2047. The report suggests focusing on three main strategies—reducing post-harvest losses, expanding cultivation, and improving productivity. Using rice fallow land, intercropping with sugarcane, and optimising rice-wheat systems could add over 8 MT of additional pulses.
To ensure sustainability, the report stresses tackling challenges like drought, pests, and diseases. It highlights India’s untapped genetic diversity of pulses, with nearly 70,000 accessions available. Modern breeding methods, including genomics, can help develop stronger, stress-tolerant varieties faster. Increasing the Varietal Replacement Rate (VRR) and strengthening seed distribution through cooperatives, KVKs, and FPOs are seen as essential steps.
Additionally, adopting better post-harvest practices can prevent large-scale losses caused by mishandling and poor storage. Over the last five years, the pulse sector grew by about 2.5% annually, enough to meet demand under normal growth. However, under a high-income scenario, a sharper growth rate will be needed to achieve full self-sufficiency by 2047.
