National Pulses Mission Latest News
The Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, and Rural Development recently announced that the Cabinet has approved the ‘National Pulses Mission’ and simultaneously increased the Minimum Support Prices (MSP) for rabi crops.
About National Pulses Mission
- The "Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses" is a six-year central scheme aimed at achieving self-sufficiency in pulses production, with a financial outlay of ₹11,440 crore.
- It will be for the period from 2025-26 to 2030-31.
National Pulses Mission Features
- Under the mission, the Government has set a target to increase pulses production to 350 lakh tonnes by 2030-32 from 242 lakh tonnes achieved in 2023-24.
- The area under pulses cultivation will be expanded to 310 lakh hectares from 242 lakh hectares, while yield is targeted to improve to 1,130 kg per hectare from 881 kg per hectare.
- The mission will be implemented through a cluster-based approach across 416 focused districts.
- About 1,000 new packaging and processing units will be set up, with a maximum subsidy of Rs 25 lakh available for establishing processing and packaging facilities.
- To improve productivity, the emphasis will be on developing and disseminating the latest varieties of pulses that are high in productivity, pest-resistant and climate-resilient.
- Multi-location trials will be conducted in major pulse-growing states to ensure regional suitability.
- The Government will distribute 126 lakh quintals of certified seeds to pulse-growing farmers, covering 370 lakh hectares by 2030-31.
- States will prepare five-year rolling seed production plans, with breeder seed production supervised by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
- Foundation and certified seed production will be undertaken by state and central-level agencies and tracked through the Seed Authentication, Traceability & Holistic Inventory (SATHI) portal.
- Additionally, 88 lakh seed kits will be distributed free of cost to farmers to support area expansion by an additional 35 lakh hectares, targeting rice fallow areas and promoting intercropping and crop diversification.
- The mission will particularly focus on increasing production of tur, urad, and masur.
- A major feature of the mission is the assured procurement of tur, urad and masur under the Price Support Scheme (PSS) of the Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan (PM-AASHA).
- National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd.(NAFED) and National Cooperative Consumers Federation (NCCF) will undertake 100 percent procurement in participating states for the next four years from farmers who register with these agencies.
Source: PIB
National Pulses Mission FAQs
Q1: The "Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses" will be implemented during which period?
Ans: 2025-26 to 2030-31
Q2: What is the total financial outlay for the National Pulses Mission?
Ans: ₹11,440 crore
Q3: What is the maximum subsidy available for setting up new pulses processing and packaging units under the National Pulses Mission?
Ans: ₹25 lakh
Q4: Which digital portal will be used for tracking foundation and certified seed production under the National Pulses Mission?
Ans: Seed Authentication, Traceability & Holistic Inventory (SATHI) portal