Trends of Pulses Production: A Study on Current Scenario and Strategies in India with Special Reference to Bihar

Bihar is one of the important pulse growing state of India with productivity of 839.3 kg/ha in 2010–11 which is projected to attain 1461.3 kg/ha by 2050–51, highest in eastern India. With nearly 2.2 million ha of rice fallows, a small technological intervention can transform the rice- fallow to rice-gram or rice-lentil system bringing about pulse revolution. The present study tries to review and analyze the current policy environment and suggests ways and means to improve the pulses production scenario in the country. It advocates, the need to diversify from cereal–based cropping systems to pulses-based cropping system with certain policy decisions like identification of additional rice fallow lands largely in Eastern India, crop diversification, improving seed replacement rate, improved crop production techniques etc. Study also suggests that provisions should be made for easy credit, insurance, attractive Minimum Support Price (MSP) with procurement and appropriate incentives for pulse producers as well as creating necessary infrastructure for processing, marketing and value-addition. This paper analyses status of pulse crop in India as whole and Bihar in particular along with paradigm shift required in policy decision, pulse research, technology generation and dissemination, commercialization along with capacity building of farmers and frontier areas of research and extension.