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How the Budget’s ‘Pulse Mission’ could be key to Punjab’s agricultural diversification, MSP demand

By shifting towards pulses, Punjab could reduce its rice cultivation area, which currently spans 3.2 million hectares, and wheat area, which covers around 3.5 million hectares, creating room for more sustainable crop rotation systems.

Workers dry pulses in a factory on the outskirts of Agartala. (Express photo by Abhisek Saha)

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her budget speech on Saturday (February 1) announced the allocation of Rs 1,000 crore to a six-year mission — called the “Pulse Mission” — to boost the output of pulses to help achieve self-sufficiency. The initiative will focus on three types of pulses: tur (arhar), urad (mash), and masoor. It will involve central agencies such as NAFED (National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India) and NCCF (National Cooperative Consumers Federation) procuring these pulses over the next four years from farmers who register with such agencies.

Here is a look at why the mission can have significant implications for Punjab.

Push for diversification

Punjab has long relied on wheat and paddy cultivation which has created a myriad of issues. These include over-extraction of groundwater, diminishing soil health, environmental degradation, and falling farm incomes. That is why the state currently needs agricultural diversification.

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The Pulse Mission can help Punjab do that. Pulses are ideal for diversification as they require much less water than paddy and can be grown in both Kharif and Rabi seasons. With assured procurement through central agencies, farmers can be encouraged to shift part of their land away from wheat and water-guzzling paddy — currently covering around 90% of Punjab’s crops in both Kharif and Rabi seasons — toward more sustainable alternatives such as pulses.

Addressing MSP demand

The demand for minimum support price (MSP) for all crops — and not just wheat and paddy — has been one of the most prominent issues raised by Punjab’s farmers in recent years. The announcement that central agencies will procure pulses for the next four years can help address this demand.

Punjab’s farmers can benefit from the Pulse Mission by growing pulses on a portion of their land, and would not have to fear market fluctuations or exploitation by middlemen, according to experts.

Punjab has seen a steep decline in pulse cultivation over the years, largely due to the assured MSP for wheat and paddy, which left little incentive for farmers to invest in less secure crops. The Pulse Mission can reverse this trend.

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Production of pulses in Punjab

Over the years, Punjab’s contribution to India’s overall pulse production has diminished significantly. In the 1960s, the state had around 9.17 lakh hectares under pulses in both the Kharif and Rabi seasons, producing a total of 7.26 lakh tonnes. But by 2023-24, the area under pulses plummeted to just 23,000 hectares, including 13,000 hectares under summer moong, which does not fall under the Rabi or Kharif crop seasons. This drastic decline is most evident in the Rabi season, where the area under pulses decreased from 8.81 lakh hectares in the early 1960s to a mere 4,000 hectares as of now. Similarly, in the Kharif season, the area under pulses like arhar (tur), moong, and mash dwindled from more than 99,000 hectares in 1985-86 to just 6,000 hectares today.

However, Punjab’s average pulse yield of around 1,100 kg per hectare is still higher than the national average of 907 kg. The issue is that the state is not producing enough pulses to meet its own demands — Punjab requires approximately 6 lakh tonnes annually. Currently, its production fluctuates between 30,000 tonnes and 60,000 tonnes, depending on the area under summer moong, which varies significantly.

The Pulse Mission could help address this supply gap as well. By shifting towards pulses, Punjab could reduce its rice area, which currently spans 3.2 million hectares, and wheat area, which covers around 3.5 million hectares, creating room for more sustainable crop rotation systems.