Changing Scenario of Pulses in India: An Analysis of its Growth and Instability in Eastern States

Despite of deceleration in area and marginal rise in production due to higher productivity growth rate but gross decline in area and production is perceived to be a major threat towards future food and nutritional security of the country as well as the Eastern states.Framing strategies to overcome the present gloomy situation may be considered as a greatest ever challenge faced by policy makers as well as agricultural scientists. The present situation necessitates long term planning to augment production. The strategies for stepping up domestic production must include development and adoption of modern technology including high yielding varieties, better monetary incentives to farmers to make pulses cultivation more remunerative than competitive crops, assured market which will motivate farmers to allocate more land for pulses cultivation. The minimum support price should be greater coordination with farm harvest price and market price. The Inputs constraints particularly quality seeds, fertilizers and lifesaving irrigation growth are not enough as compared to rice and wheat crops. Liberalized and subsidized import of pulses of India helps to meet demand-supply gaps,which have occurred because of stagnation in the area under cultivation, very slow growth in yield, poor increase in production and speedy increase in population. Ban on export and re-export of pulses make the closure of Indian pulses processing units. Problems of pulses economy can be solved with the increase the sources of production. Effective and continuous efforts are needed to increase the area under cultivation with better technological and logistic support.