Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s Plan to Boost Pulse Production in India
New Delhi, June 22: Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced that the Central Government is dedicated to buying tur, urad, and masur at the Minimum Support Price (MSP) to promote crop diversification and achieve self-sufficiency in pulse production.
Virtual Meeting with State Agriculture Ministers
During a virtual meeting with Agriculture Ministers from various states at Krishi Bhavan, New Delhi, Chouhan highlighted the launch of the e-Samriddhi portal by the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Limited (NAFED) and the National Cooperative Consumer Federation of India Limited (NCCF). This portal allows farmers to register and ensures the government will purchase their pulses at MSP.
Encouraging Farmer Registration
Chouhan urged state governments to encourage farmers to register on the e-Samriddhi portal to benefit from assured purchases. He emphasized the goal of achieving self-sufficiency in tur, urad, and masur production by 2027.
Progress and Future Goals
Chouhan praised the states for increasing pulse production by 50% since 2015-16 but called for further efforts to boost yield per hectare. He noted that India has become self-sufficient in moong and chana and reduced import dependence from 30% to 10% over the past decade.
New Initiatives
Chouhan introduced the Aadarsh Pulses Village Scheme, starting from the current Kharif season, and encouraged the use of fallow land for pulse cultivation after rice harvesting. He also recommended inter-cropping of tur and sharing best practices among states.
Support for Farmers
Chouhan stressed the importance of crop diversification, restoring soil fertility, and providing timely, high-quality inputs like seeds to farmers. He mentioned the establishment of 150 Pulses Seed Hubs and Cluster Front Line Demonstrations (CFLDs) by ICAR in low productivity districts to ensure the availability of good quality seeds.
Climate-Resilient Varieties
Chouhan highlighted the need for developing climate-resilient and short-duration pulse varieties to combat climate change. He urged state governments to strengthen their seed distribution systems and State Seed Corporations.
Collaboration for Self-Sufficiency
The meeting, attended by Agriculture Ministers from major pulse-producing states like Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Bihar, and Telangana, focused on increasing pulse production and reducing imports.
