Role of pulses in the food and nutritional security in India

In spite of impressive growth of Indian agriculture, ensuring household food and nutritional security is still a challenge due to imbalanced growth in agriculture biased towards wheat and rice. Though production of pulses in the recent decade has increased but is not in pace with the increase in population. Pulses for being a major source of protein in Indian diet and for being resource conserving and environmental friendly, the increase in pulse production will act as a panacea for problems like nutritional security. Hence, an attempt has been made in this paper to analyze the significance of pulses in food consumption and nutritional security vis-a-vis other food items. The analysis is based on the 55th and 66th rounds of National Sample Survey pertaining to years 1999–2000 and 2009–10, respectively, using simple descriptive statistics. The dietary pattern has shifted away from cereals and pulses toward fruits, vegetables, processed food and food items of animal origin. The decline in the consumption of pulses has lead to increase in malnutrition and decline in protein intake. Need of the hour is to increase production and availability of pulses by adopting various innovative measures like institutional and policy support, development and wider adoption of HYV and low cost technologies, proper extension services for production and marketing of pulses, development of value chain, etc.