Why India's shot at self-sufficiency in pulses could boil down to imports

Between 2016 and 2023, the average annual production of all pulses in India rose from 16-18 million tonnes to 22-25 million tonnes

A few weeks back, Home Minister Amit Shah, who is also India’s first co-operation minister, underscored the need for the country to become self-sufficient in pulses to ensure not a single kilogram is imported from January 2028 onwards. He was speaking at an event to launch a portal for pre-registration of farmers for purchase of tur from them directly either at the minimum support price (MSP) or at market rate, whichever is higher.

“Grow pulses, don’t worry about prices,” Shah said. A similar pre-registration for direct sales by farmers will be unveiled shortly for urad and masoor, as well as maize.

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