Budget 2025: Why Achieving Aatmanirbharta in Pulses Remains a Challenge?

Why in the NEWS?

• A mission of Rs 1,000 crore has been brought in the Union Budget 2025 to achieve self-sufficiency in pulses.

Key Points: 

• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has announced the launch of a six-year 'Self-Reliance Mission in Pulses'.
• In this, special focus will be given to tur/arhar, urad and lentil.

What will you read next in this topic?

1. Rs 1,000 crore mission in Budget 2025 for self-sufficiency in pulses:
2. Role of NAFED and NCCF:
3. Imports of pulses rising:
4. Previous efforts towards self-sufficiency:
5. Agricultural success of chickpea and moong:
6. Development of new varieties:
7. Difficulty in cultivation of tur/arhar:
8. Efforts to increase production:
9. Challenges and Solutions for Self-sufficiency in Tur/Arhar

Rs 1,000 crore mission in Budget 2025 for self-sufficiency in pulses:

• The Union Budget 2025-26 has announced an Rs 1,000 crore mission to achieve self-sufficiency in pulses. 
• The move presents a significant opportunity for India, especially when the country’s pulses imports are set to touch new heights. 
• Its main objective is to provide Minimum Support Price (MSP) based procurement and post-harvest storage solutions in respect of three major pulse crops.

Role of NAFED and NCCF:

• Under this scheme, a process will be initiated for registration of farmers with NAFED (National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India) and NCCF (National Cooperative Consumers Federation of India). 
• Farmers registering with these agencies will be able to sell their produce at the maximum price under MSP. 
• The aim is to provide farmers an opportunity to sell their produce at a fair price, so as to increase their income.

Imports of pulses rising:

• Significantly, this comes even as India’s pulses imports during April-November 2024 were valued at $3.28 billion, 56.6% higher than the $2.09 billion for the corresponding period of 2023. 
• This is leading to increasing import pressure, making the need to achieve self-sufficiency even more important. 
• If this rate continues, imports could reach $5.9 billion in 2024-25.

Previous efforts towards self-sufficiency:

• India had seen a rise in the import of pulses between 2013-14 and 2016-17. 
• However, imports decreased from 2018-19 and steps were taken towards self-sufficiency. 
• Imports of peas and chickpeas declined in 2018-19, and imports increased again in 2023-24.

Agricultural success of chickpea and moong:

• Mainly chickpea and moong crops are playing an important role in India's pulses production. 
• The production of chickpea has increased from 95.26 lakh tonnes in 2013-14 to 122.67 lakh tonnes in 2022-23, while the production of moong crop has also increased.

Development of new varieties:

• New varieties have been developed in chickpea and moong, which give production in less time. 
• New varieties of gram mature in 100-120 days, while moong varieties mature in 50-75 days. 
• These varieties have given farmers the opportunity to take more crops.

Difficulty in cultivation of tur/arhar:

• There are still some problems in the cultivation of tur/arhar. 
• The traditional tur crop used to mature in 250-270 days and gave low yield. 
• Now new varieties have come, which yield 15-16 quintals per hectare, but it is still low. 
• Cultivation of tur/arhar is mainly limited to Maharashtra and North Karnataka, where rain-fed farming is predominant.

Efforts to increase production:

• The government has taken concrete steps to promote MSP based procurement of gram and moong. 
• The production of gram and moong has been encouraged through MSP procurement during 2022-23 and 2023-24.
• The Ministry of Agriculture and other related agencies are planning to use new agricultural technologies to increase the production of pulses. 
• These technologies will be used to make the production process more efficient and transparent.

Challenges and Solutions for Self-sufficiency in Tur/Arhar

• Achieving self-sufficiency in tur/arhar cultivation in India is an important objective, but there are some major challenges for this:

Development of hybrid varieties:

• Traditional tur/arhar varieties mature in 250-270 days and yield 20 quintals per hectare. 
• Self-sufficiency requires hybrid varieties that mature in 140-150 days, yield 18-20 quintals per hectare and are suitable for mechanical harvesting. 
• This will increase the yield and also save farmers' time.

Policy ambiguity:

• The government wants farmers to grow leguminous crops, but tur/arhar prices often go below the MSP. 
• For example, in Maharashtra and Karnataka, tur/arhar is selling at an average of Rs 7,300-7,400 per quintal, while its MSP is Rs 7,550. 
• In addition, import of tur/pigeon pea is exempted from duty free, thereby competing with domestic production.

Steps towards self-sufficiency:

• India needs to develop hybrid varieties, policy reforms and changes in import policy to become self-sufficient in tur/pigeon pea. 
• The government has to adopt a strong policy to ensure compliance with MSP and promote domestic production.