Present scenario, bottlenecks and expansion of pulse production in India: A review

Abstract

India is the largest producer and consumer of pulses in the world, accounting for about 25% of global production, 27% of consumption and 34% of food use. More than two-third area and production has been obtained from the six states of India viz., Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. India is leading importer and about 20% of the total pulses demands are met by imports only due to the stagnant production over the years. To reduce the demand-supply gap, government of India launched various programmes in pulses. However, prime attention is required to meet the food security challenges, especially in case of pulse production. These crops are only the option to cure the sick land which is ill by chemical based modern cultivation. In order to enhance and sustain the pulse productivity at high levels, the development and promotion of pulse production technology need greater attention so that technology is widely adopted by the majority of farmers. The paper addresses the present scenario, bottleneck and focus on the way forward for sustaining/improving pulses production in India.