New Delhi, Jun 22 (KNN) The government has announced plans to procure tur, urad, and masur at Minimum Support Prices (MSP) to boost domestic production and reduce imports, Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan stated on Friday.

The initiative is part of a broader strategy to achieve self-sufficiency in pulse production by 2027 and promote crop diversification.

During a virtual meeting with state agriculture ministers, Chouhan introduced the e-Samridhi portal, operated by cooperatives NAFED and NCCF, for farmer registration.

He urged state governments to encourage farmer participation in the portal to ensure assured procurement.

The minister commended states for increasing pulse production by 50 per cent since 2015-16 but emphasised the need to improve yield per hectare.

India has reduced its dependency on pulse imports from 30 percent to 10 per cent over the past decade, achieving self-sufficiency in moong and chana.

Several key initiatives were announced during the meeting. The New Model Pulses Village scheme will be implemented from the current Kharif season, and fallow lands after rice harvests will be utilised for pulse cultivation.

The government plans to promote tur inter-cropping, establish 150 Pulse Seed Hubs for quality seed availability, and develop climate-resilient and short-duration crop varieties.

Chouhan stressed the importance of crop diversification towards cash crops and soil fertility restoration. He also called on states to strengthen their seed delivery systems and state seed corporations.

Agriculture ministers from major pulse-producing states, including Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh, attended the meeting. They expressed optimism about achieving production targets, citing forecasts of above-normal monsoon rains.

The Union Minister invited state agriculture ministers to Delhi for a detailed meeting on agricultural scenarios and to address issues collectively.

The meeting was also attended by Union Ministers of State for Agriculture Ram Nath Thakur and Bhagirath Chaudhary, Agriculture Secretary Manoj Ahuja, and ICAR Director General Himanshu Pathak.

(KNN Bureau)