The production of pulses has remained erratic | Photocredit: Nagara Gopal
Indian agriculture witnessed another year of the production of record food food, of 354 million tons in 2024-25, according to the third estimates of Advance released on 28 May 2025 by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. However, record production was largely limited to large grains – rice and wheat. Crop diversification for coarse grains, pulses and oil -containing seeds for dietary security has remained a distant goal. Consequently, the import of pulses amounted to a record of 7.3 million tons, at $ 5.5 billion in 2024-25, with an increase of around 53 percent and 46 percent, respectively in provisional year. Likewise, the import of vegetable oils was $ 17 billion in 2024-25.
Continuous dependence on imports for essential food products such as pulses and oil-containing seeds, the country exposes the global price and delivery uncertainties, apart from costs for the treasury. Moreover, an extensive cultivation of rice and wheat also leads to untenable and inefficient use of groundwater sources. In such a situation there is an urgent need for strong policy measures to promote crop diversification for sustainable use of agricultural land and water stocks and self -supply in nutritional safety.
Different missions
In this respect, the efforts to promote the diversification of crops in the past four decades are implemented by various missions about pulses, oil -containing seeds and millet. The last of such measures is the six -year mission for Atmanirbharata in Pulsen“ With a publication of £ 1,000 crore in Budget 2025, mainly to guarantee reimbursement prices for farmers by purchasing all quantities of Tur, Urad and Masoor in the coming four years at MSP. Moreover, there has been a remarkable increase in the purchase of pulses and oil -containing seeds in recent years. The purchase of pulses rose from approximately 11 Lakh ton in 2021-22 to 24 Lakh ton in 2023-24, while that of oil-containing seeds increased from approximately 2 Lakh ton to about 14 Lakh ton in the corresponding years according to Nafed.
Notwithstanding these efforts, pulsing production has remained erratic since 2016-17 and in the reach of 22 to 27 million tons (MT). In fact, the output of the record of 27 MT fell in 2021-22 to 25 MT in 2024-25 despite a remarkable increase in MSP and purchasing activities. While the production of oil-containing seeds has also remained in a shortage, with a moderate increase in the past decade of about 25 MT in 2015-16 to around 42.6 MT in 2024-25-Steeg the production of grains by approximately 94 MT, from 235 MT to 329 MT for the same period.
One of the main reasons for the restraint of farmers to shift from grains to other crops is the significant yield gap. The average yield of grains was more than three times that of pulses and double that of oil-containing seeds during the triennium end (too) 2024-25. The yield gap is much wider compared to individual crops such as rice and wheat.
In addition to a higher yield, grains cultivation is largely mechanized, especially for labor -intensive operations such as harvesting, while those of pulses and oil seeds are still largely dependent on manual labor. As a result, farmers in large rice and wheat growth areas are limited by the availability of labor and costs to start with diversification of crops.
So, to promote crop diversification of rice and wheat to nutrient and environmentally friendly crops such as pulses and oil seeds, it is necessary to improve their yields and bring them to par or above those of large grains. In addition, with rapidly growing weather abnormalities of climate change and the deterioration of groundwater sources, the need for the hour is the development of high yield, resilient and drought-tolerant crop varieties and cultivation practices. To this end, there is urgent to promote research and development of crop varieties, innovation in technology for mechanization of agricultural activities, the acceptance of sustainable cultivation practices, etc.
Amarender is Joint Director, School of Crop Health Policy Support Research, Icar-National Institute of Biotic Stress Management, Raipur and Tulsi is a senior economist, sustainable finances and agriculture, Mumbai. Views are personal
Published on June 24, 2025
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