The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved the Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses, a landmark initiative aimed at boosting domestic pulses production and achieving self-sufficiency over a six-year period from 2025-26 to 2030-31. The mission comes with a substantial investment of Rs 11,440 crore and is expected to benefit approximately 2 crore farmers across the country.
India is the world’s largest producer and consumer of pulses, yet domestic production has lagged behind rising demand, leading to a 15–20% dependence on imports. The Mission aims to reduce import dependency, meet growing consumption, increase farmer incomes, and strengthen national food and nutrition security.
Key Features of the Mission
- Production Target: Increase pulses production from current levels to 350 lakh tonnes by 2030-31.
- Seed and Technology Support: Distribution of 88 lakh free seed kits and 126 lakh quintals of certified seeds to farmers to ensure access to high-yield, pest-resistant, and climate-resilient pulse varieties. Multi-location trials will ensure regional suitability of varieties.
- Area Expansion: Additional 35 lakh hectares under pulses will be developed by utilizing rice fallow areas and other diversifiable lands, promoting intercropping and crop diversification.
- Capacity Building: Structured training programs for farmers and seed growers to adopt modern, sustainable agricultural practices.
- Post-Harvest Infrastructure: Development of 1,000 processing and packaging units to reduce post-harvest losses, improve value addition, and increase farmer incomes. A maximum subsidy of Rs 25 lakh will be available for setting up these units.
- Assured Procurement: 100% procurement of Tur, Urad, and Masoor under the Price Support Scheme (PSS) through NAFED and NCCF over the next four years, guaranteeing fair returns to participating farmers.
- Monitoring and Market Support: Mechanism to monitor global pulse prices to safeguard farmer confidence.
The mission will adopt a cluster-based approach, tailoring interventions to specific regions, enhancing productivity, and promoting geographic diversification. By 2030-31, it is expected to expand the area under pulses to 310 lakh hectares, increase yield to 1,130 kg/ha, and generate significant employment opportunities.
In addition to economic benefits, the mission is expected to provide environmental gains, including climate-resilient practices, improved soil health, and productive use of previously fallow areas.
Shri Modi’s government has emphasized that the Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses is a strategic step towards self-reliance, reducing import dependency, conserving foreign exchange, and enhancing farmers’ incomes while strengthening India’s nutrition security.
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