The central government has prepared a five-year schedule to push annual pulses production to over 24 million tonnes by 2020-21. This could make the country self-sufficient.
Production in 2016-17, also the first year of this plan, is expected to be a record at over 22 mt, around 0.9 mt more than targeted.
According to a senior official, the five-year map has been framed in consultation with top agricultural scientists and others. A number of states are being encouraged to bring more rainfed areas under cultivation. Also, improving the yield in eastern India by bringing inter-cropping with cereals, oilseeds and commercial crops.
The Centre is also encouraging cultivation of arhar (red gram) on farm bunds and has increased its minimum support price. To ensure earnings to growers, it had also decided to procure a little over two mt for a buffer stock.
In a related development, the government said foodgrain growth in 2016-17 (July-June) had surpassed previous records, to 271.98 mt, as much as 8.1 per cent more than the previous year, 2015-16, which was the second of two back-to-back drought years.