Pulses and oilseeds play a significant role both in the Indian agriculture and in the diet of Indians. Pulses are the main sources of plant protein along with other nutrients; oilseeds like mustard, soybean, groundnut and sunflower supply the material for the production of edible oil. In some cases, when domestic production was not sufficient to meet growing demand, there were even imports which made growing of these crops a necessary objective of Indian agriculture. An increase in production of the mentioned crops is not only connected with a reduction in imports but also with improving the income of the farmers, crop rotation, soil improvement and efficient utilization of agricultural resources. Using high-quality seeds, modern technologies and various government programs India seeks to increase the production of these crops.
Reducing Imports:
As far as pulses and oilseeds are concerned, the Government of India has paid increased attention to them due to the reason that reducing dependence on imports has become one of the top priorities in agriculture in India. Pulses are an integral part of the Indian cuisine, while oils are present in each Indian family. If domestic production does not meet the demands, imports become necessary. Consequently, through increasing production, dependency on imports will be reduced, ensuring that the food chain becomes safe. Thus, special programs have been developed in order to enhance domestic production of pulses and oilseeds.
Achieving Food and Nutritional Security:
Pulses are regarded as the source of vegetable proteins, fibers and many other vitamins. Millions of Indians consume them, forming a healthy diet. Therefore, through increasing their production, food and nutritional security will be ensured.
Promoting Crop Diversity:
There was a trend of using only a few crops in India for agriculture. It has been observed that depending on fewer crop varieties may be problematic for nature since the use of natural resources like soil and water becomes too much for them. The promotion of pulses and oil seeds enables the farmers to cultivate other crops as well. The Indian government made it clear that through the production of pulses, oil seeds and millets, the objective of food security, self-sustainability and sustainable agriculture could be achieved.
Increasing Farmer’s Income:
Crop diversification may open up different ways for the farmers as far as farming is concerned. With the help of better crop varieties and better agricultural practices, the pulses and oil seeds become a profitable choice for the farmers. Thus, the current initiatives of the government are focused on not only production but also procurement and management of the value chain.
Increasing Domestic Production:
India will have a mission to clearly define the production targets of pulses along with oilseeds. The target for self-reliance or Atmanirbhar in pulses is to ensure that the domestic production of pulses increases from 242 lakh tonnes to 350 lakh tonnes by 2030-31. On the same lines, the national mission on edible oils – Oilseeds is expected to ensure that primary oilseed production increases from 39 million tonnes in 2022-23 to 69.7 million tonnes by 2030-31.
Increasing Land Utilization for Agriculture:
In increasing the production of pulses, increasing land utilization is an essential factor. However, increasing the production of pulses cannot be entirely done through substitution of all crops. The government can consider some diversified lands such as rice fallow and others for increased production of pulses. In the case of pulses, the objective is to increase land utilization by 35 lakh hectares by 2030-31.
Improving Soil Health Using Pulses:
Growing pulses is advantageous because legumes have the capability of making a symbiotic relationship with the bacteria fixing nitrogen, which will be beneficial in the nitrogen cycle of the crops. Hence, using suitable pulse crops as rotation is beneficial for managing nutrients and diversification of crop system. At present, the pulses mission aims at improving the soil health management as well as balancing fertilizers and crop management.
Achieving Self-Sufficiency in Edible Oils:
Oil seeds including mustard, soybean, groundnut, sunflower and sesame constitute major sources of edible oils. There has been a move in India to increase the production of oil seeds in the country and make the country self-reliant in terms of edible oils. There has been sanctioning of the National Mission on Edible Oils – Oilseeds in the year 2024 for achieving self-reliance in edible oils. There has also been substantial increase in the area of oil seeds, their production and productivity from 2014-15 to 2024-25.
Improving Seeds and Technology:
Improvement in the production levels cannot depend only on the area which is cultivated. Seed quality, improvement in varieties, climate tolerance, pest resistance and advanced farm practices are equally essential. In view of this, the on-going schemes have included concerns about improving the availability of better seeds, demonstrations, technology and skills training to the farmers. In the case of pulses mission, climate tolerance and high yielding varieties are essential. However, in case of oilseed mission, it focuses on improving seeds and farming practices by developing value chain clusters.
Increasing Resilience of Agriculture:
In a way, the pulses and oilseeds mission is a part of a wider process of increasing the resilience and self-sufficiency in Indian agriculture. Production, seed systems, procurement, processing, storage and marketing all have to be integrated. For example, in case of pulses mission, there is provision for improving post-harvest infrastructure and processing, whereas in case of oilseeds mission, there is focus on value chain clusters and post-harvest infrastructure.
Conclusion:
The increased focus on pulses and oilseeds by India cannot be credited to only one reason. The reasons are food security, nutritional security, generating income for farmers, diversified agriculture, better soil management, reduced dependency on import and being self-reliant in agriculture. The current missions being carried out by the government have focused on achieving very aggressive targets through better seed, technology and marketing strategies. It will be up to the farmers how effectively these all policies become seeds, markets, better technology and profitable production in the fields. In this way, the production of pulses and oilseeds can play a vital role in developing a diversified agricultural system in India.
Author
M.Sc (Agriculture) in Agronomy, Centurion University of Technology and Management, Paralakhemundi, Odisha, 761211
B.Sc Agriculture, The Neotia University, South 24 Parganas , West Bengal, 743368
