India on track to become self-sufficient in pulses production: Agriculture Minister

India, the world's largest consumer and importer of pulses, is on track to become self-sufficient in production of the protein-rich commodity and will further boost the output to meet global demand, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said on Monday.

He mentioned that the government has taken many measures including hike in the minimum support price and procurement of pulses to support farmers.

The country had produced 23.40 million tonnes of pulses during 2018-19 crop year (July-June), still short of annual domestic demand of 26-27 million tonnes. The gap is met through imports.

However, for the current year, the government is targeting pulses output of 26.30 million tonne.

Speaking at an event on the occasion of World Pulses Day, Tomar said, "pulses are becoming necessary not only in India but also in other countries. We faced huge shortage of pulses earlier but now the situation has improved."
Stating that India is almost on path to become self-sufficient in pulses, Tomar said: "As of now, maximum of the domestic requirement is being met in India Itself. We will further boost pulses production and will also help in meeting the global demand."