When Laxman Wankhede finally harvested his pigeon pea (tur) crop in Khadki village of Jalna district, Maharashtra, it was already 45 days past the expected mid-December 2025 harvest.

Sown in June 2025, the pigeon pea crop matured unevenly due to rainfall variability and limited irrigation, delaying the harvest. Now, as the season slips away, his plans for the next crop of watermelon and chilli hang in the balance due to limited water. Laxman’s experience is not an isolated incident but a ground reality for many farmers.

India is the largest producer of pulses, accounting for 38 per cent of global cultivated area, yet yields are less than half those of Ethiopia.

Among pulses, India alone accounts for 80 per cent of the world’s pigeon pea sown area, spanning 38.32 lakh hectares, of which almost one-third is cultivated in Maharashtra.

Despite having the largest area under pigeon pea cultivation globally, India imported 16.7 per cent of its total pulse requirements in FY 24-25, largely due to duty-free imports from countries like Canada, Myanmar, Mozambique, and Tanzania. But why?

Extreme weather events have affected over 9 million hectares of cropland, which directly impacted the domestic production while the demand continues to exist.

Other systemic challenges

Along with climate change, another factor further adding to the woes of pigeon-pea farmers is cheaper imports to ensure a continued supply.

The Supreme Court in September 2025 took cognisance, highlighting the impact of imported pulses, such as pigeon pea, being sold as low as ₹3,500 per quintal, i.e., less than half the Minimum Support Price (MSP) in the country.

These lower prices reflect increased imports enabled by the government’s duty-free import policy on pigeon pea and black gram until March 2026, forcing domestic producers to compete with cheaper imports and often compelling them to sell at a loss.

Furthermore, farmers continue to face other systemic challenges such as water scarcity, pest attacks, low-yielding varieties, poor market prices, and inefficient post-harvest systems. To improve the current situation of pulses, India has set a target to become self-reliant in pulses by December 2027.

To achieve this goal, the Government of India announced a guarantee of 100 per cent MSP procurement until 2028-29. This guarantee led to an increase in the total MSP outlay under the Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan (PM-AASHA) from ₹45,000 crore to ₹60,000 crore.

Yet, this measure cannot solely secure livelihoods and India’s self-reliance, given the distinct reality between policy and practice on the ground.

The current situation of crops such as pigeon pea in Jalna district shows a concerning reality. Laxman had sown synchronised varieties of the crop, with a 150-day maturity period, harvested between the end of November and mid-December.

The crop harvest was delayed due to rainfall variability and limited irrigation facilities, extending the crop cycle to over 200 days.

Poor synchronisation between flowering and pod development not only complicates harvest planning but also increases vulnerability to pests and diseases.

This situation brings farmers like Laxman under immense pressure due to the current market conditions and uncertainty around cultivating the next crop, both factors affecting their future incomes.

These interconnected climate risks, ranging from climate variability and irrigation challenges to pest attacks and crop planning under uncertainty, call for more innovative solutions.

Need of the hour

India has different agro-ecological zones, requiring more locally specific solutions to achieve its ambitious self-reliant goals for pulses.

India needs to develop climate-resilient seeds to limit the impact of changing climate and also needs to improve its post-harvest and management systems through technological innovation.

Vertical expansion (the practice of increasing crop production and yield per unit of land by growing upwards in stacked layers) in pulses production through genetic diversity and modern breeding techniques is the need of the hour.

While Indian farmers possess strong local knowledge of agricultural practices, there remains a significant deficit in understanding of the newer challenges arising from climatic changes and the actions required to address it. Strengthening the availability of real-time locale advisories to help farmers respond to climate changes and pest attacks.

In parallel, a calibrated and gradual phasing-out of duty-free imports of pulses would support long term price stability and enhance incentives for domestic production, thereby paving the way to become the largest exporter of large agricultural produce globally. Recent trade engagements with the United States and the European Union signal India’s balanced approach, deepening trade partnerships while safeguarding domestic agricultural interests, highlighting the importance of reassessing the continuation of current duty free imports of pigeon pea and black gram.

India also has a larger in-house opportunity due to increased awareness of protein intake among the younger generation who still lack sufficient protein in their meals.

To meet the growing demand, local companies are trying to integrate protein into daily Indian household consumables. Without boosting domestic production to meet the current and future demand for pulses, India will miss the opportunity to capitalise its own domestic market, and would have to rely on importing.

India’s push for self-reliance in pulses cannot rest on MSP guarantees or import controls alone. Without climate resilient seeds, localised advisories, improved irrigation and efficient post-harvest systems, farmers will be forced to absorb both climatic and market shocks undermining the very goal of self-sufficiency.

(Adhe is Research Associate at Climate Resilient Agriculture, WOTR Centre for Resilience Studies (W-CReS) and Rupani is Economist at W-CReS)

Published on April 11, 2026