India’s import of pulses dropped by 60 per cent between 2017-18 and 2022-23 as their production increased 9 per cent. Encouraged by this, the government has chalked out a plan to focus on increasing the production of tur, urad and masur, potentially making the country self-sufficient. This will be particularly done by raising the productivity further. There was 41 per cent increase from 655 kg/hectares to 924 kg/hectares in pulses yield in last seven years.
“We have devised a plan to increase the production every year in some identified States over the next three years, which will help us to get sufficient additional output of pulses by 2025-26, to bring down import to zero level,” an official source in the Agriculture Ministry said.
Starting from this year, a target of 45.5 lt has been set for tur, 23.88 lt for urad and 16.95 lt for masur-a rabi crop, sources said.
However, as there are several hurdles to achieve the objective, the Agriculture Ministry has taken up the matter with Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) to sort out issues in implementing the seed hub plan.
Seed programme faces hurdles
In February, the Kanpur-based Indian Institute of Pulses Research (IIPR) of ICAR had a detailed presentation at an internal meeting on progress made under Enhanced Breeder Seed Production (EBSP) and Seed Hub programrnes. According to IIPR, the Seed Hub prograrrrne, started in 2016 at 150 locations with a target of 1,000 quintals of seed production at each centre, is facing several constraints such as slow offtake of seeds by States and other agencies, lack of seed certification agency in the North-East and lack of funds for coordination cell.
In a letter to ICAR, the department of agriculture and cooperation has said during the recent Kharif Conference (on May 3), States were advised to lift the seeds from the Seed Hubs. However, many action points such as Seed Hubs to be brought under IT platform within two months including traceability and geo-tagging, complete research analysis on the impact of Seed Hubs, cost analysis of seed production from Seed Hubs and production subsidy for seeds produced under Seed Hubs to be worked out, have not been received till date, it pointed out, while requesting for urgent action.
Out of 22.86 lt of pulses imported during April-February of the 2022-23 fiscal, tur had maximum share of 8.22 lt, followed by masur with 7.34 lt and urad at 4.94 lt, data show.
Tur occupies 33 per cent of pulses area and contributes to 48 per cent of total kharif pulses production. Of this, the top 3 States — Maharashtra, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh — contribute 64 per cent to area and production. Urad has 28 per cent share in area and 23 per cent in kharif pulse production. The top three states —Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh — contribute about 73 per cent to area and 69 per cent to production of urad.