Growth rate of major pulses in India vis-a-vis Punjab Aggarwal Yash*, Sharma Sunish Department of Agriculture, Khalsa College, Amritsar, India *Corresponding author email: yashaggarwal1925@yahoo.com
Online Published on 26 February, 2024. Abstract India holds the title of the world’s largest pulse producer, contributing 27-28 per cent of the global production. Chickpea, pigeon pea, urad bean and moong bean are significant pulse varieties in India, with Punjab being a key producer of moong bean, black gram and pigeon pea. However, despite being a major producer in the past, Punjab’s pulse cultivation has significantly declined from 413.7 thousand ha in 1970-71 to 33.5 thousand ha in 2021-22. The current research focuses on data related to the cultivation area, production and productivity of various pulses in Punjab and India spanning a period of 51 years from 1970-71 to 2020-21. The study revealed a significant decline in both the area and production of major pulses in Punjab except for moong bean which showed positive growth in area and production with the per cent of 2.19 and 3.16 annually due to its cultivation during the summer months utilizing fallow land after wheat harvesting and before paddy sowing. In India, lentil crop showed the highest growth rates in both area (1.29%) and production (2.58%) over the study period. In the Period-II, urad beans were the most stable with less instability (13.88%) followed by lentil (21.69%) and urad bean (5.60%). During the NFSM period, India witnessed notable growth in urad bean at 5.43 per cent per annum followed by moong beans (4.62%) and pigeon pea (2.46%) while chickpea declined by 0.42 per cent annually. The study provided comprehensive insights into the pulse cultivation landscape in India, emphasizing the need for sustainable practices, government support and strategic shifts in cropping-patterns to ensure water conservation and economic stability for farmers. Top Keywords Pulses area, Production, Productivity, NFSM, Growth rate. Top |