Government needs to make serious efforts to increase the production of pulses and oilseeds crops
06-Nov-2024 03:29 PM
New Delhi. The general perception is that to increase the production of pulses and oilseeds in India, it is necessary to reduce the dependence of farmers on paddy, wheat and maize cultivation.
Paddy crop requires the most water, while the level of underground water is decreasing in states like Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
The government is emphasizing on crop diversification, under which the focus is being laid on increasing the production of pulses and oilseeds, but increasing its production by reducing the production of other crops will not be a practical step.
Of course, India is currently self-sufficient in the production of rice, wheat and maize, but whenever there is a decline in production due to any reason, then its market price jumps, which increases the problems of the common people.
It is true that due to the decrease in the production of pulses and edible oils, there is a need for its huge import from abroad, on which a huge amount of valuable foreign currency is spent, but alternative efforts need to be made to curb this.
India is currently the largest exporter of rice in the world and its shipment brings billions of dollars to the country. If an attempt is made to reduce its production, export income will naturally be affected.
The demand and consumption of corn is increasing rapidly, while this trend of increase is likely to continue in the future as a huge quantity of it will be used in ethanol production.
Domestic production may prove incapable of meeting this and heavy imports of it from abroad may be required.
As far as wheat is concerned, its domestic production and use is almost at a balanced level, while the market price is much higher than the government support price.
There is a need to increase the domestic production of wheat. The problem with pulses and oilseeds crops is that its average yield rate remains very low, which needs to be increased.
Similarly, emphasis can be given on its cultivation in vacant or fallow fields. Pulses and oilseeds crops can be cultivated where the fields are empty after harvesting of paddy. This will also increase the fertility of the soil.