India's Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses Progress Report
The Indian government's Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses, launched on October 11, 2025, aims to achieve complete self-sufficiency in pulses production by 2030-31 with a financial allocation of ₹11,440 crore spanning 2025–26 to 2030–31. The mission focuses on boosting domestic production, reducing import dependence, and enhancing farmers' income through a comprehensive value-chain approach.
Production Targets and Strategic Measures
By 2030-31, the mission targets production of nearly 350 lakh tonnes with yield rising to 1,130 kg per hectare. Key strategies include enhancing production of Tur, Urad, and Masoor pulses, promoting climate-resilient seeds, distributing 87.5 lakh free seed kits and 126 lakh quintals of certified seeds over six years, expanding pulse cultivation area by 35 lakh hectares to reach 310 lakh hectares, implementing a cluster-based approach covering 489 districts, and establishing 1,000 processing units (dal mills).
Current Performance Indicators
India's pulse sector showed strong growth in 2025-26 with total production rising to 274.09 lakh tonnes from 256.83 lakh tonnes in 2024-25. The cultivation area expanded from 277.20 lakh hectares to 286.46 lakh hectares, while overall yield increased from 926 kg per hectare to 957 kg per hectare. Major pulse cultivation regions include Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Odisha, and West Bengal.
Trade Impact
Pulses imports declined significantly by 31.52%, from ₹46,427.60 crore in 2024-25 to ₹31,793.59 crore in 2025-26. Concurrently, pulses exports rose 13.40% from USD 855 million in 2024-25 to USD 969.53 million in 2025-26, reaching a total export volume of 10.01 lakh tonnes. Major export destinations included China, UAE, Bangladesh, the U.S.A., and Sri Lanka.
Price Support and Procurement
The government implemented substantial Minimum Support Price increases: Urad MSP increased from ₹7,400 per quintal in 2024-25 to ₹8,200 per quintal for 2026-27 (10.81% increase), Tur (Arhar) MSP increased from ₹7,550 to ₹8,450 per quintal (11.92% increase), and Masur (Lentil) MSP increased from ₹6,700 to ₹7,000 per quintal (4.48% increase).
NCCF and NAFED are authorized to procure 100% of Tur, Masur, and Urad for four years (2025–26 to 2028–29). As of June 17, 2026, NCCF achieved total pulses procurement of 10.55 lakh tonnes across 9 states, releasing ₹7,047 crore MSP value directly to farmers and benefiting 4.69 lakh farmers out of 7.74 lakh registered farmers. Procurement expanded from 18,39,504.77 tonnes in 2024-25 to 31,40,883.92 tonnes in 2025-26.
Infrastructure Development
The mission has allocated 528 pulse processing units to States and Union Territories in the first phase of its 1,000-unit target. Under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan SAMPADA Yojana, 23 pulse processing units have been approved for Creation and Expansion of Food Processing and Preservation Capacities, with 18 units already completed. For Rabi 2025-26, 9.25 lakh seed kits were distributed toward the six-year target of 87.5 lakh kits.
Digital Monitoring Systems
The mission utilizes advanced digital platforms including a three-tier Steering Committee network, Krishi Mapper application for geo-fencing and land geo-tagging, Seed Authentication, Traceability & Holistic Inventory (SATHI) portal for seed supply chain automation, AgriStack & Digital Crop Survey integrating Farmer IDs with Soil Health Card analytics, and verification platforms like E-Samriddhi and Vistaar for direct payments and market data.