Agriculture & FoodImportant2025-10-01

Cabinet Approves Mission for Pulses Self-Reliance

Q: Which of the following statements is/are correct regarding the 'Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses' (2025-26 to 2030-31)? 1. It guarantees 100% assured procurement of Tur, Urad, and Masoor under the PM-AASHA scheme. 2. India is currently a net exporter of pulses due to surplus domestic production from marginal lands.

1 only — Statement 1 is correct as the mission ensures assured procurement of focus crops via NAFED and NCCF. Statement 2 is incorrect; India is the world's largest importer of pulses, importing a record 7.3 million tonnes in 2024-25 to meet domestic demand, which this mission aims to reverse.

Why focus: Flagship scheme launch with strict numeric targets (242 to 350 LMT) — GS3 Agriculture, high How-Many-Correct probability.

In News

What Happened

On October 1, 2025, the Union Cabinet approved the 'Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses' with a financial outlay of Rs 11,440 crore. The six-year central scheme runs from 2025-26 to 2030-31 and aims to increase domestic pulse production from 24.2 million tonnes to 35 million tonnes. It focuses on expanding cultivation areas, distributing high-yield seeds, and building processing infrastructure.

Why It Matters

Although India is the world's largest producer and consumer of pulses, it imported a record 7.3 million tonnes worth $5.5 billion in 2024-25. This mission is vital to eliminate import dependency, save foreign exchange reserves, ensure nutritional security, and provide stable incomes for farmers facing climate shocks.

Background

History & Context

India accounts for about 25% of global pulse production, but its yields remain extremely low (around 0.74 tonnes/hectare) because cultivation is largely relegated to marginal, rain-fed lands. Over the years, farmers shifted toward water-intensive crops like paddy and wheat due to secure procurement, leaving pulses vulnerable to cheap imports from Canada and Australia. Announced in the FY 2025-26 Budget, this mission was structured to bridge the projected demand-supply gap and structurally reform the pulses ecosystem.

What Changed

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Seed Availability: BEFORE, farmers lacked access to high-yield, pest-resistant varieties, stifling productivity. NOW, the government will distribute 88 lakh free seed kits and 12.6 million quintals of certified seeds over the six-year period.
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Assured Procurement: BEFORE, market prices for pulses frequently crashed below the Minimum Support Price (MSP) due to cheap imports, deterring farmers. NOW, there is 100% assured procurement of Tur, Urad, and Masoor by NAFED and NCCF under the PM-AASHA scheme.
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Cultivation Area Expansion: BEFORE, vast tracts of rice-fallow lands remained unused after the Kharif harvest. NOW, the mission targets bringing an additional 3.5 million hectares under pulse cultivation, specifically targeting these rice-fallow zones and promoting intercropping.
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Post-Harvest Infrastructure: BEFORE, inadequate storage and milling facilities led to 5-7% post-harvest losses. NOW, the mission will subsidize the establishment of 1,000 new processing and packaging units across 489 focus districts.

Prelims Angle

NCERT Connection

This scheme heavily aligns with Class 10 Geography Chapter 4 (Agriculture), which highlights pulses as leguminous crops that restore soil fertility through nitrogen fixation (except Arhar). The mission leverages this ecological trait by expanding pulse cultivation into rice-fallow areas to naturally rejuvenate soil health and reduce reliance on synthetic fertilizers.

Practice Questions

Q1

Correct Statement(s)

Which of the following statements is/are correct regarding the 'Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses' (2025-26 to 2030-31)? 1. It guarantees 100% assured procurement of Tur, Urad, and Masoor under the PM-AASHA scheme. 2. India is currently a net exporter of pulses due to surplus domestic production from marginal lands.

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