Efforts to promote cultivation of tur and urad in seven states
04-Jul-2025 03:31 PM
New Delhi. The Central Consumer Affairs Department has launched a plan to promote the cultivation of tur (pigeon pea) and urad (black gram) through a seed distribution campaign across a dozen districts in seven Indian states. The objective is to boost domestic production and reduce dependency on imports.
According to the Consumer Affairs Secretary, the campaign will be implemented in selected districts of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Manipur and Tripura. The National Cooperative Consumer Federation of India (NCCF), a subordinate body, has already begun preparations for the campaign.
The Secretary stated that the initiative was first launched as a pilot project last year in two districts of Jharkhand. Encouraged by the positive outcomes, the government has now decided to expand the campaign to additional states.
During the current Kharif season, pigeon pea and black gram cultivation will be encouraged in districts such as Palamu, Latehar and Garhwa in Jharkhand, Mirzapur and Lalitpur in Uttar Pradesh, Gaya and Jehanabad in Bihar, and Vijayapura in Karnataka. These districts have been selected based on two main criteria: they are rain-fed and are listed as aspirational blocks by NITI Aayog.
More than one crore rupees will be spent on distributing pigeon pea and black gram seeds in these areas. The government has also committed to 100% procurement of the pulses produced under the scheme.
Farmers will have the option to sell their crops in local mandis if market prices are above the minimum support price (MSP), but if prices fall below MSP, government agencies will step in to procure the produce.
According to the report prepared by NCCF on the pilot project in Jharkhand, the distribution of high-quality seeds led to a 40-50 percent increase in pulse yields.
This resulted in higher incomes for farmers and generated strong enthusiasm among them for pulse cultivation. Farmers expressed satisfaction with the improved yields and support received under the program.