What Happened
- India, the world's largest producer, consumer, and importer of pulses, continues to face a structural gap between domestic production and demand, necessitating significant annual imports.
- Despite progress from 16.35 million tonnes in 2015-16 to 26.06 million tonnes in 2022-23, pulse productivity remains low at 800-900 kg per hectare -- well below the potential of 1,400-1,500 kg per hectare.
- The Union Cabinet approved the Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses (2025-26 to 2030-31) with an outlay of approximately Rs 11,440 crore, targeting self-sufficiency by December 2027, especially in tur (arhar), urad, and masoor.
- Structural reforms in agriculture -- beyond procurement policies -- are essential to ensure food and nutritional security, including crop diversification, improved seed infrastructure, and assured price support.
Static Topic Bridges
Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses (2025-31)
The Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses is a centrally sponsored scheme launched in February 2026 to achieve self-sufficiency in pulse production. It prioritises tur, urad, and masoor -- three pulse crops where India has the highest import dependency. The mission aims to increase production from 24.2 million tonnes (2024-25) to 35 million tonnes by 2030-31, and targets expanding pulse cultivation area by 35 lakh hectares by leveraging rice fallow areas and promoting intercropping.
- Outlay: Rs 11,440 crore for 2025-26 to 2030-31
- Farmer support: Rs 10,000 per hectare for adopting cluster-based pulse farming
- Comprehensive seed-to-market value chain approach
- Aims to bring rice fallow areas and other diversifiable lands under pulse cultivation
- Follows NITI Aayog's 2024 report on "Strategies and Pathways for Accelerating Growth in Pulses towards the Goal of Atmanirbharta"
- Import dependency reduced from 29% in 2015-16 to 10.4% in 2022-23, but absolute imports still significant (over 47 lakh tonnes in 2023-24)
Connection to this news: The mission represents the government's structural response to the persistent pulse supply-demand gap, moving beyond short-term procurement fixes to a multi-year production strategy with area expansion and productivity enhancement.
Minimum Support Price (MSP) and Agricultural Price Policy
MSP is the minimum price at which the government guarantees to purchase farm produce from farmers. The Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) recommends MSP based on production costs, market prices, demand-supply conditions, and inter-crop price parity. The government announces MSP for 22 mandated crops (14 kharif + 6 rabi + 2 commercial crops). For pulses, MSP has been set at a minimum of 1.5 times the comprehensive cost of production (A2+FL) since 2018-19, following the Swaminathan Committee recommendation.
- CACP, under the Ministry of Agriculture, recommends MSP; Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approves
- 22 crops covered: 7 cereals, 5 pulses, 7 oilseeds, 4 commercial crops
- Swaminathan Committee (National Commission on Farmers, 2004-06) recommended MSP at C2 + 50% (comprehensive cost including imputed rent of land)
- Government adopted A2+FL (actual paid costs + imputed family labour) x 1.5 formula since 2018-19
- Price Stabilisation Fund (PSF) used by NAFED/FCI to procure pulses at MSP and manage price volatility
- Buffer stock of pulses maintained to ensure price stability and food security
Connection to this news: Despite MSP announcements for pulses, procurement remains patchy in many states, and farmers lack assured markets, contributing to reluctance to shift from cereals to pulses -- a core structural challenge that the new mission attempts to address.
Crop Diversification and Food Security
India's cropping pattern is heavily skewed toward rice and wheat due to assured MSP procurement, subsidised inputs (water, electricity, fertiliser), and established market infrastructure. This has led to depletion of water tables (especially in Punjab-Haryana), soil degradation, and nutritional imbalance. Crop diversification toward pulses, oilseeds, and millets is essential for nutritional security, soil health (nitrogen fixation by legumes), and reducing import dependency.
- Rice and wheat account for over 75% of cereal procurement by FCI
- Pulses are leguminous crops that fix atmospheric nitrogen, reducing fertiliser dependency and improving soil health
- National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013 covers approximately 81.35 crore beneficiaries with subsidised foodgrains
- NITI Aayog has recommended replacing rice-wheat procurement dominance with nutri-cereal and pulse procurement
- Per capita pulse availability in India: approximately 52 grams/day (ICMR recommendation: 40-60 grams/day)
- India's pulse imports come primarily from Myanmar, Mozambique, Tanzania, Canada, and Australia
Connection to this news: The persistent demand-supply gap in pulses reflects the failure to incentivise diversification away from rice-wheat, making structural reforms in agriculture -- including procurement diversification, FPO-linked marketing, and area expansion into rice fallows -- essential for long-term food and nutritional security.
Key Facts & Data
- India's pulse production (2022-23): 26.06 million tonnes (up 59.4% from 2015-16)
- Average pulse yield: 800-900 kg/hectare (target: 1,400-1,500 kg/hectare)
- Mission outlay: Rs 11,440 crore (2025-26 to 2030-31)
- Target production by 2030-31: 35 million tonnes
- Import dependency (2022-23): 10.4% (down from 29% in 2015-16)
- Imports in 2023-24: over 47 lakh tonnes
- NITI Aayog projection: domestic supply to reach 30.59 MT by 2030 and 45.79 MT by 2047
- India is the world's largest producer, consumer, and importer of pulses