Context

On February 10th we celebrate the World Pulses Day 2024, whose theme is nourishing soils and people. 

World Pulses Day 2024: Nourishing Soils and People

• About World Pulses Day: The celebration of the World Pulses Day is dedicated to the recognition of pulses and their important role in human nutrition, sustainable agriculture, and environmental well-being. 
• Origin: In 2013, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution (A/RES/68/231) to proclaim 2016 as the International Year of Pulses (IYP). 
  • After the tremendous success of the International Year of Pulses, the crops’ potential was recognized to further achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. 
  • With its relevance to given to Sustainable Development Goals 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 12, 13 and 15, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) officially declared the World Pulses Day in 2019.
• World Pulses Day 2024 Theme: The theme for World Pulses Day 2024 is “Pulses: nourishing soils and people”.
• Significance of the World Pulses Day
  • Importance of Pulses: The World Pulses Day is used as an opportunity to spread awareness on the importance of pulses crops, especially nutritional value, food security, and environmental benefits.
  • Promote Pulses Cultivation: The day seeks to promote cultivation of pulses due to its role in helping to improve human health, and soil health.

About Pulses

• About: Pulses are a diverse sub-group of legume crops that include lentils, chickpeas, beans, and peas.
  • Most common consumable pulses include dried beans, lentils and peas. Pulses do not include crops that are harvested green.
  • Pulses also do not include crops used majorly for oil extraction (Ex: soybean and groundnuts) and leguminous crops that are exclusively used for sowing purposes (Ex: seeds of clover and alfalfa). 
• Purpose: Pulses are grown for variety of reasons, including human consumption, livestock forage, and as soil-enhancing green manure. 

Pulses Cultivation In India & World

• Global Status: India is the largest producer of pulses at 25%. India is followed by Canada (9%), China (6%) and the European Union (5%) as the next largest producing countries.
• Pulses Cultivation Status in India
  • Production: India is currently the largest producer (25 percent), consumer (27 per cent) and importer (14 per cent) of pulses in the world.

Map: Major Pulses Producing States In India (Source: GoI)

• • Contribution: Pulses contribute around 20 percent of the total area under food grains and around 7-10 per cent of the total foodgrains production in India.
  • Growing Season: Even though pulses are grown in both Kharif and Rabi seasons, Rabi pulses contribute more than 60 per cent of the total production.
  • Pulses Producing States In India:  Around 75 per cent of total pulses production is concentrated in the states of Madhya Pradesh (29.67%), Maharashtra (14.66 %), Rajasthan (13.57 %), Uttar Pradesh (9.03 %) and Karnataka (7.60 %).
  • Pulses Variety: Chickpea (48 %), Pigeon Pea (14 %), Black Gram (12%), Green Gram (8%) and Lentil (7%) constitute the majority of pulses produced in India.

Benefits of Pulses: For Health, Soil, and Crops

• Health Benefits: Pulses have a good source of vitamins and minerals that are vital for good health, making it an important part of diet.
  • With its composition, pulses also contribute to heart health, weight management, and the prevention of chronic diseases.
• Reduce Food Wastage: Other sources of protein, especially meat, have a low shelf life. Pulses not just have a long shelf-life but also help to increase the diversity of diets.
• Soil Fertility: Pulses plants are well known for fixing atmospheric nitrogen into the soil, contributing to improving soil biodiversity and fertility.
• Crop Rotation: In many countries, pulses are part of crop rotation, to improve chemical fertilizer use efficiency.
• Rural Employment Generation: Pulses have the potential to provide employment and entrepreneurial opportunities for rural women and youth.
• Genetic Diversity: Pulses have a broad genetic diversity, ensuring that climate-resilient varieties can be developed.
• Agroforestry: Growing pulses crops along with other crops improve food security as well as enhance income of farmers.
• Animal Husbandry: The wastage from pulses crops can be used as animal feed. This provides animals with a quality diet.
• Low Carbon and Water Footprint: Pulses is well-known for its low carbon emission and low utilisation of water.

Challenges For Pulses Cultivation

• Lower Price for Pulses: Compared to cereals, the prices of other pulses are very low. This discourages farmers from cultivating pulses in their fields.
• Pest Attacks: Pest attacks on pulses have grown manifold in the last few decades due to changes in climate as well as growing methodology.
• Declining Cultivation Area: As prices of cereals grow, farmers are inclined to migrate to rice and wheat instead of pulses.
• Absence of High Yielding Varieties: Indian farmers are yet to adopt high yielding varieties of pulses, which has resulted in decline in profits.
• Lack of Modernisation: Pulses cultivation needs manpower in the form of agricultural labourers. In absence of labourers, there is a need to migrate to modern equipment.

Conclusion

• The World Pulses Day seeks to promote pulses as an important crop due to its role in tackling the food crisis and climate change.
• Increasing cropping area under pulses can also help tackle the twin problems of malnutrition and hunger, especially in the developing world.