Centre to Procure Pulses at MSP: Boost Production, Cut Imports

New Delhi, Jun 21 (PTI) In a bid to boost domestic production and reduce imports, the Centre has committed to procuring tur, urad, and masur at Minimum Support Prices (MSP), Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Friday.

The move aims to encourage crop diversification and achieve self-sufficiency in pulse production by 2027.

Chairing a virtual meeting with state agriculture ministers, Chouhan highlighted the launch of the e-Samridhi portal through cooperatives NAFED and NCCF for farmer registration.

"We urge state governments to encourage more farmers to register on this portal to avail assured procurement," he said.

The minister praised states for increasing pulse production by 50 per cent since 2015-16 but called for further efforts to improve yield per hectare, an official statement said.

Chouhan noted that India has reduced its dependency on pulse imports from 30 per cent to 10 per cent over the last decade, achieving self-sufficiency in moong and chana.

Key initiatives announced are New Model Pulses Village scheme to be rolled out from the current Kharif season; utilisation of fallow lands after rice harvests for pulse cultivation; vigorous promotion of tur inter-cropping; establishment of 150 Pulse Seed Hubs for quality seed availability besides the development of climate-resilient and short-duration crop varieties

Chouhan emphasised the need for crop diversification towards cash crops and soil fertility restoration. He urged states to strengthen their seed delivery systems and state seed corporations.

State agriculture ministers from major pulse-producing states, including Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh, attended the meeting. They assured cooperation and expressed optimism about achieving production targets, citing forecasts of above-normal monsoon rains.

The Union Minister invited state agriculture ministers to Delhi for a detailed meeting on agricultural scenarios and to address issues collectively.

The meeting was also attended by Union Ministers of State for Agriculture Ram Nath Thakur and Bhagirath Chaudhary, Agriculture Secretary Manoj Ahuja, and ICAR Director General Himanshu Pathak.