{"id":53183,"date":"2025-09-05T21:34:39","date_gmt":"2025-09-05T16:04:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=53183"},"modified":"2025-09-22T13:43:14","modified_gmt":"2025-09-22T08:13:14","slug":"niti-aayog-self-reliant-pulses-strategy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/05-09-2025\/niti-aayog-self-reliant-pulses-strategy","title":{"rendered":"NITI Aayog Releases Strategy for Building a Self-Reliant Pulses Sector"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/ Agriculture<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A report titled \u201cStrategies and Pathways for Accelerating Growth in Pulses towards the Goal of Atmanirbharta\u201d was released by the NITI Aayog.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India is the<strong> largest producer and consumer<\/strong>, accounting for <strong>~38% <\/strong>of global area and <strong>~28%<\/strong> of production. India remains the <strong>second-largest importer<\/strong> of pulses, after <strong>China.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan account for over <strong>55% <\/strong>of production.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Importance of Pulses in India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Catering Nutritional Security:<\/strong> They are rich in <strong>protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals<\/strong>, benefiting both human and animal health, and support <a href=\"http:\/\/Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)\">Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)<\/a>, including <strong>SDG 2 (Zero Hunger)<\/strong> and<strong> SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being).\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Sustainable Development:<\/strong> Pulses enhance <strong>soil health<\/strong>, conserve water, and help to mitigate climate change. Their low carbon footprint and nitrogen-fixing ability aid in reducing synthetic fertilizer use, aligning with SDG 13 (Climate Action) and SDG 15 (Life on Land).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Challenges Highlighted by the Report<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>India\u2019s Low Yield: <\/strong>Despite this, <strong>India\u2019s average yield (0.74 t\/ha) <\/strong>is below the global average <strong>(0.97 t\/ha)<\/strong> .\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>India ranks lowest<\/strong> in yield among the top ten pulse producers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Technological Gaps: <\/strong>Limited progress in developing and adopting high-yielding varieties compared to cereals.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Weak extension support and inadequate farmer access<\/strong> to quality seeds and modern production technologies.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Poor management of pests and diseases in pulse crops.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Environmental Constraints:<\/strong> Predominance of rainfed cultivation with inadequate irrigation infrastructure.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>High vulnerability to climatic vagaries<\/strong> such as droughts, erratic rainfall, and El Ni\u00f1o\/La Ni\u00f1a shocks.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Economic and Market Challenges: <\/strong>Volatile market prices and frequent supply-demand fluctuations discourage farmers.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Lower profitability of pulses<\/strong> compared to cereals reduces farmer incentives.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Weak and fragmented marketing<\/strong> channels restrict farmer access to stable markets.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Recommendations for Achieving Self-Sufficiency<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Area Retention and Diversification:<\/strong> Retain existing pulse area and diversify cultivation through targeted crop-wise clustering.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Develop strategies tailored for specific agro-ecological sub-regions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Seed and Technology Interventions:<\/strong> Ensure high-quality seed distribution and seed treatment kits, with special focus on <strong>111 high-potential districts<\/strong> contributing 75% of national output.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Promote the concept of <strong>\u201cOne Block\u2013One Seed Village\u201d<\/strong> to build cluster-based hubs, supported by Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Climate Adaptation:<\/strong> Mainstream proactive climate adaptation measures to reduce risks from El Ni\u00f1o, La Ni\u00f1a, and other climate-induced shocks.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Data-Driven Transformation: <\/strong>Establish comprehensive monitoring systems and decision-support tools for planning, early warnings, and market intelligence.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Use technology-driven platforms<\/strong> to strengthen transparency and traceability across the value chain.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#ebecf0\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Mission for Atmanirbharta in Pulses<\/strong><br>&#8211; <strong>The Union Budget 2025\u201326<\/strong> announced a <strong>six-year Mission<\/strong>, Mission Atmanirbharta in Pulses, focusing on tur, urad and masoor, was set up with the following<strong> five pillars:<\/strong><br>1. <strong>Assurance of Procurement:<\/strong> NAFED and NCCF will assist with procurement for farmers, under four-year agreements to sell any quantity to NAFED at assured prices.<br>2. <strong>Seed Systems and Traceability: <\/strong>Quality seeds will be distributed in 111 high-potential districts for major pulses under the \u201cOne Block\u2013One Seed Village\u201d model.<br>3. <strong>Strengthening FPOs:<\/strong> to ensure improved bargaining capacity, access to seeds, and better market linkages.<br>4. <strong>Nutrition Factor: <\/strong>expanding the role of pulses in the Public Distribution System (PDS) and mid-day meals.<br>5. <strong>Value Chain Development: <\/strong>mechanisation, value addition, post-harvest loss management.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pib.gov.in\/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2163828\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>PIB<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<h3><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">A report titled \u201cStrategies and Pathways for Accelerating Growth in Pulses towards the Goal of Atmanirbharta\u201d was released by the NITI Aayog.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Importance of Pulses in India<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Catering Nutritional Security: They are rich in protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals, benefiting both human and animal health, and support Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being).\u00a0<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Sustainable Development: Pulses enhance soil health, conserve water, and help to mitigate climate change. Their low carbon footprint and nitrogen-fixing ability aid in reducing synthetic fertilizer use, aligning with SDG 13 (Climate Action) and SDG 15 (Life on Land).<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/05-09-2025\/niti-aayog-self-reliant-pulses-strategy\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read\u00a0More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-53183","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53183","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53183"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53183\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":54757,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53183\/revisions\/54757"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53183"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53183"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53183"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}