Pulses

Sowing of kharif crops including paddy is lagging significantly in the country, with total acreage at 182.72 lakh hectares as of June, down 23 per cent compared to 236.46 lakh hectares a year earlier, amid delayed onset and sluggish progress of the southwest monsoon, according to agriculture ministry data. Not only rice but also pulses, oilseeds, coarse cereals and cotton have seen lower sowing than the year-ago period. Sowing of kharif crops normally begins with the onset of southwest monsoon from June. According to the latest data, paddy acreage -- the main kharif crop -- was down 25.17 per cent at 25.75 lakh hectares as on June 25, against 34.41 lakh hectares last year. Pulses sowing lagged by 30.47 per cent at 14.92 lakh hectares versus 21.46 lakh hectares, while oilseeds area plunged 53.33 per cent to 16.99 lakh hectares from 36.41 lakh hectares. Among pulses, tur/arhar sowing stood at 3.56 lakh hectares against 8.45 lakh hectares. In oilseeds, groundnut area fell to 8.87 la

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Rabi sowing has crossed 39.3 million hectares, with strong gains in pulses and oilseeds as farmers leverage good soil moisture, better seeds and stable MSP cues to diversify beyond wheat

Rising imports, shrinking acreage, and low profitability show why another mission may struggle unless pulses farming becomes economically viable for growers

The move aims to curb cheap imports from Canada, Australia, and Russia that dragged mandi prices below MSPs, while stabilising chana and other pulses ahead of the rabi sowing season

The six-year Rs 11,440-crore pulses mission aims to raise output to 35 million tonnes and boost productivity through assured MSP procurement and acreage expansion

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a six-year central scheme aimed at achieving self-sufficiency in pulses production, with a financial outlay of Rs 11,440 crore. The "Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses", approved by the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will be for the period from 2025-26 to 2030-31. The mission follows Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's announcement in the 2025-26 Budget. The mission will particularly focus on increasing production of tur, urad and masur, with assured procurement by government agencies National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (Nafed) and National Cooperative Consumers' Federation of India Ltd (NCCF) from registered farmers. "We are going to start a mission on pulses for six years. Several initiatives will be taken under this," Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told reporters after the Cabinet meeting. Under the mission, the government has set a target to increase pulses .

The Cabinet approved 3 per cent DA hike from 55 per cent to 58 per cent, benefiting 4.92 million government employees and 6.87 million pensioners, starting July 1, 2025

The Centre has cleared a six-year ₹11,440 crore plan to raise pulses production to 35 million tonnes by 2030-31 with assured procurement and farmer support

Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan told the rabi conference that India needs policy recalibration to raise pulses and oilseeds output, not just new Missions

Intake of cereals and pulses came down in both rural and urban areas, while consumption of milk and its products showed an increase in 2023-24, according to a government report. The Household Consumption Expenditure Surveys (HCES) conducted during August 2022 July 2023 and August 2023 July 2024 showed that the consumption of egg, fish and meat has gone up in rural areas, though it remained the same in urban areas. The study showed the proportion of cereals in the consumption has decreased from 38.8 per cent in 2022-23 to 38.7 per cent in 2023-24 in urban areas. In the case of rural India, the proportion has decreased from 46.9 per cent to 45.9 per cent. For pulses, the proportion of consumption declined from 9.6 per cent to 9.1 per cent in urban areas and from 8.8 per cent to 8.7 per cent in rural areas. On the other hand, the proportion of milk and its products in the diet in urban areas increased from 12.8 per cent to 12.9 per cent, while in rural areas it rose from 10.6 per c

The biggest contributor to the surge in pulses imports has been the jump in yellow peas imports

The pre-budget document for the 2024-25 fiscal has suggested policy reforms to discourage overproduction of cereals while boosting output of pulses and edible oils, which the country currently imports to meet domestic shortages. The Economic Survey 2024-25, tabled in Parliament on Friday, stressed that India's agriculture sector has "significant untapped growth potential" despite various growth initiatives. Farmers must be allowed to receive unimpeded price signals from the market, with separate mechanisms to protect vulnerable households, it added. The document outlined three key policy shifts needed - establishing market mechanisms for price risk hedging, preventing excessive fertiliser use, and discouraging production of water and power-intensive crops that are already in surplus. "These policy shifts will help lift agricultural productivity in the economy by boosting land and labour productivity in the sector," the survey said. Agriculture sector growth averaged 5 per cent ...

The Bharat brand provides kitchen staples at subsidised rates. It was launched as a part of the govt's broader aim to make essential goods more affordable for middle-class consumers

Cheaper yellow pea is being used in besan (gram flour) instead of chana dal, raising concerns over pricing and transparency in the market

The restaurant industry is expected to turn around on the back of India's overall strong fundamentals after facing temporary headwinds such as high food inflation and people dining out less that hurt the sector in the first quarter, according to Speciality Restaurants Ltd CMD Anjanmoy Chatterjee. The company, which has a slew of brands such as Mainland China, Asia Kitchen by Mainland China, Episode One, Haka, and Sweet Bengal, among others and shut 29 outlets during the pandemic, is now focussing on profitable growth while expanding its footprint. "It should be clear that India not eating out or inflation not settling down is something which I don't believe in. India is better than many more countries...," Chatterjee told PTI. He was responding to a query on how long factors such as high food inflation and people dining out less after the diminishing of 'revenge eating' post pandemic that affected the restaurant industry, will continue to impact the sector. "It is a short-term ...

Easing maize supply woes would also benefit user industries like poultry feed, starch, and ethanol