Grow in India: pulse self-reliance dream fades amid rising imports and low yields

New Delhi: Despite record sowing of pulses during the kharif season, India's goal of becoming self-reliant in pulses by 2027 seems increasingly out of reach, experts said.

The yield isn't enough to keep up with demand, said Bimal Kothari, chairman of the India Pulses and Grains Association (IPGA), even as fears mount that excessive rainfall in September could damage crops and impact pulse production.

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Although El Niño has ended, the La Niña effect, which refers to the cooling of the central Pacific Ocean, is expected to establish itself in September, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The national forecaster has predicted an unusually rainy September, particularly in northern India.

The production of pulses has continued to decline, from 27.3 million tonnes in FY22 to 26 million tonnes in FY23, and 24.5 million tonnes in FY24, according to agriculture ministry data.

According to the data, over the last 5 years, the most that India has produced was 27.3 million tonnes, which was in FY22. The lowest, 23 million tonnes, came in FY20.

The production of kharif pulses has also witnessed a declining trend, dropping from 8.23 million tonnes in FY22 to 7.62 million tonnes in FY23, and shrinking further to 6.86 million tonnes in FY24, the agriculture ministry data showed.

Pulse yields in India are about one tonne per hectare, compared with four tonnes per hectare in Canada, a major importing nation for masur, Kothari added.

Pulses imports rise

According to the consumer affairs ministry, pulse imports have increased significantly in recent years, up 44% in CY2023 to 2.99 million tonnes from 2.07 million tonnes in CY2022. Imports until July this year stood at 1.4 million tonnes.

The government has set a target to end its reliance on imported pulses by 2027, emphasized by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her Union budget speech: “To achieve self-sufficiency in pulses and oilseeds, we will enhance their production, storage, and marketing.”

India imports tur from Mozambique, Tanzania, Malawi and Myanmar; Urad from Myanmar and Brazil; and masur from Canada, Australia, Russia and Türkiye.

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"Excessive rainfall is not good for standing crops. If the rains meet the predictions of the IMD, it will certainly impact the yield of pulses," said Siraj Hussain, former agriculture secretary.

According to the Directorate of Pulses Development, the major kharif pulse-growing states are Rajasthan with a 20% production share, followed by Maharashtra (18%), Madhya Pradesh (16%), and Karnataka (15%). Uttar Pradesh produces 7% of India’s total kharif pulses, followed by Gujarat (5%), Jharkhand (5%), and Telangana (4%).

Increasing pulse requirement

"India will require 40 million tonnes of pulses by 2030 due to the increasing population, but our production has not kept pace and dropped to 24 million tonnes last year. The government needs to take corrective measures, such as encouraging crop diversification from rainfed to irrigated areas and extending subsidies to pulse farmers," IPGA's Kothari said.

The 40 million tonne projection is disputed by some experts.

The ministry of consumer affairs, food and public distribution, told the Lok Sabha in March 2022 that according to a report by the Niti Aayog working group on demand and supply projections towards 2033, that the demand for pulses is projected to increase from 26.72 million tonnes in FY21-22 to 32.64 million tonnes in FY29-30.

The current annual consumption of pulses in India is estimated to be around 27 million tonnes.

This high level of consumption reflects the cultural and dietary importance of pulses in Indian cuisine, where they are used in a variety of dishes such as dal, sambar and curries.

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Not only consumption estimates, production forecasts too are dispute. 

Disagreeing with other experts, K.J. Ramesh, former DG of IMD, said, "There will be no impact of September rains on pulses. Production will surpass last year’s figures, and we can expect a good harvest this time."

The government's move to procure all pulses at minimum support prices (MSP) is encouraging farmers and is reflected in the sowing trends, he said, adding the sowing of pulses has increased by 8.47% this year, reaching 12.51 million hectares compared to 11.66 million hectares last year.

Rise in sowing

As of 30 August, sowing of tur has increased by 12.4% to 4.5 million hectares, up from 4.1 million hectares last year. The sowing of moong has risen by 4% to 3.4 million hectares, compared to 3.1 million hectares last year.

However, the sowing of monsoon urad has decreased by 6.5% to 2.9 million hectares, from 3.1 million hectares last year.

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Queries emailed to the ministries of agriculture and consumer affairs remained unanswered till press time.