Diversifying beyond paddy in Assam

The Union Cabinet's approval of the Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses for 2025-26 to 2030-31 has great significance for Assam as the state continues to depend on procurement from other states to meet its demand. The Pulses Mission initiated by the Central Government is aimed at boosting production to 350 lakh tonnes by 2030-31. The Rs 11,440 crore push by the Union Cabinet is targeted to achieve self-sufficiency in India's pulses production. The proposed mission is targeted to benefit two crore farmers through distribution of improved seeds, post-harvest infrastructure and assured procurement. The rationale behind the push for increasing pulse production across the country is that an increase in disposable income and standard of living of people has led to an increase in consumption of different types of pulses, but the domestic production has not increased proportionately, which has led to an increase in imports by about 15-20%. The central government has decided to lay more emphasis on developing and disseminating the latest varieties of pulses which are high in productivity, pest-resistant and climate-resilient. The Union Cabinet has given its approval to multi-location trials in major pulse-growing states to ensure regional suitability. An official release issued by the Press Information Bureau on the Union Cabinet's decision in this regard states that for ensuring availability of premium quality seeds, states will prepare five-year rolling seed production plans. The breeder seed production will be supervised by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research. Foundation and certified seed production will be done by state and central level agencies and closely tracked through the Seed Authentication, Traceability & Holistic Inventory (SATHI) portal, it adds. NITI Aayog's finding that India's pulse production is concentrated in a few states, with the top ten states - Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Telangana and Tamil Nadu - contributing about 91.28% of the total output from 89.97% of the total area, speaks volumes about the low volume of production in Assam and other Northeastern states. The country expanding the pulses production in states like Assam with favourable agroclimatic conditions for certain pulses is critical to reduce the vulnerability of production being concentrated in some states. The Pulse Mission seeks to expand the area under pulses by an additional 35 lakh hectares by targeting rice fallow areas and other diversifiable lands, supported by promoting intercropping and crop diversification, and for this, 88 lakh seed kits will be distributed free of cost to the farmers. Assam leveraging these mission components will require it to prepare a comprehensive plan for increasing pulse production through utilisation of rice fallow areas. Although the state has surplus rice production, rice fallow areas account for more than 50% during the Rabi season. Boosting production needs both expansion of area and increasing productivity. Vast rice fallow areas which remain uncultivated in the state during the winter season can be utilised to expand the area under pulses. Availability of premium quality and climate-resilient seeds will play the crucial role in increasing the productivity, and the National Pulse Mission has brought a huge opportunity to address the challenge of seed replacement. The Mission has set the target of distribution of 126 lakh quintals of certified seeds to make improved varieties available to pulse-growing farmers, and it will depend on the capacity of the state agriculture department to get a fair share of these certified seeds. As distribution of certified seeds will be complemented by convergence with the soil health programme, Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanisation, balanced fertiliser use, plant protection, and extensive demonstrations by ICAR, Krishi Vigyan Kendras, and State Agriculture Departments to promote best practices in pulse production, the Mission also brings an opportunity to empower and motivate the farmers to give up the practice of leaving rice-growing areas fallow and use them for increasing multi-cropping intensity and augmenting household income. It is important for the state agriculture department not to look at the National Pulse Mission as a mere subsidised scheme for farmers for the distribution of seeds and the provision of support for farm machinery but as an opportunity to increase pulse production to meet the state's nutritional requirement for its citizens. Capacity building of the farmers in the state through structured training programmes to promote sustainable techniques and modern technologies, as envisaged in the national mission, will play a vital role in achieving the objectives. The mission will help develop post-harvest infrastructure, including 1,000 processing units, thereby reducing crop losses, improving value addition, and increasing farmer incomes, and a maximum subsidy of Rs. 25 lakh will be available for setting up processing and packaging units. The scale and commitment of Assam in planning will determine its efforts to get as many processing units to benefit farmers. Integrating production and processing units closer to pulse production clusters will be pivotal to ensuring an assured market for farmers. Pulse production being financially attractive is pivotal to motivating more farmers in Assam to diversify beyond paddy.