Landscape of Pulses production in India: Types & Major states

Table of Contents

• An Introduction to Pulses in India
• Types of pulses grown in India
• Largest Producer of Pulses in India

• • Madhya Pradesh
  • Rajasthan
  • Maharashtra
  • Uttar Pradesh
  • Karnataka

• Government Initiatives to Promote Pulses Production in India

An Introduction to Pulses in India

Pulses are the seeds from the legume family. They come in different shapes, sizes and colours. Pulses are grown in all three seasons: Kharif, Rabi and Summer. India is the largest producer and consumer of pulses in the world. According to the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, India has 246.56 lakh tonnes of pulse production in 2021-2022. During the last 3-4 years, the production of pulses has increased in India.

Types of Pulses grown in India

• Gram
• Tur
• Urad
• Moong
• Lentil

So, these are the most popular pulse crops grown in India, now let’s have a look on the largest producing states of pulses in India below.

Largest Producer of Pulses in India

• Madhya Pradesh
• Rajasthan
• Maharashtra
• Uttar Pradesh
• Karnataka

Let’s discuss each state in a more detailed form:

Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh occupies 58.10 lakh hectares area and tops the list with 58.51 lakh tonnes of pulse production in 2021-22. The state has a high-yielding variety of pulses with a total 1007 kg/ha yield. The popular pulses are gram, urad and tur.

Rajasthan

Rajasthan, a state known for its agricultural diversity, has maintained its position as one of the top pulse producing states with a total production of 39.93 lakh tonnes. The state covers an area of 60.36 lakh hectares with 662 kg/ha yield. Rajasthan's agricultural versatility is evident in the variety of pulses grown, with Moong, Arhar, and Gram being the major ones.

Maharashtra

Maharashtra is known for tur dal, also called as arhar. It is the third-most-producing state in pulses, producing 38.22 lakh tonnes in 2021-22. The state occupies 44.05 lakh hectare area in India and with 868 kg per hectare yield.

Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh has a wide variety of pulses and ranks among the top five states as it has higher crop area for production which is 23.46 lakh hectare. The state's overall production of pulses is 24.30 lakh tonnes with 1036 kg/ha yield. The major pulses grown are gram, urad and arhar.

Karnataka

Karnataka is the fifth largest producing state of pulses, with an annual production of 19.83 lakh tonnes. Chickpea, black gram and green gram are popular pulses grown in the state. The state covers a 31.61 lakh hectare area with 627 kg per hectare yield.

Government Initiatives to Promote Pulses Production in India

The production of pulses in India has been increasing year by year. In recent years, the total pulses production has increased by 18% in India. The government of India is helping farmers promote India’s pulse production by taking several initiatives. Let’s have a look at some of the initiatives below.

• The Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare has launched the National Food Security Mission (NFSM) to increase the production of pulses through area expansion and productivity enhancement.
• Under this mission, the government is providing assistance to the farmers on;

• • cropping, seed production and distribution of high-yielding varieties,
  • improved farm machinery,
  • water application tools,
  • plant protection measures,
  • nutrient management, processing & post-harvest equipment,
  • cropping system-based training, etc.

• Seed mini-kits are provided free of cost to the farmers.
• One hundred fifty seed hubs have been set up under NFSM to obtain quality seeds of pulses.
• The Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) for pulses have been increased in recent years to encourage farmers to grow more and more pulses.