Parliament Question: Status of Aatmanirbharta Mission in Pulses

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2410 TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 13/03/2026 STATUS OF AATMANIRBHARTA MISSION IN PULSES 2410. DR. SIKANDER KUMAR : Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE be pleased to state: (a) the key findings and strategic directions issued during the comprehensive review of National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) conducted in February 2026 to ensure robust and transparent procurement of pulses at Minimum Support Price (MSP); (b) the current status of the Aatmanirbharta Mission in Pulses, specifically the progress made towards achieving the production target of 350 lakh tonnes by 2030-31; and (c) the steps being taken to strengthen field-level infrastructure, such as the establishment of 1,000 processing units, to prevent post-harvest losses and distress sales by farmers across the country? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE (SHRI BHAGIRATH CHOUDHARY) (a): Progress on procurement of Pulses is periodically reviewed with Central Nodal Agencies (CNAs) namely National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd. (NAFED) and National Cooperative Consumers' Federation of India Limited (NCCF). To ensure remunerative price to the farmers and self sufficiency in pulse production, CNAs undertake procurement of Tur, Urad & Masoor from registered farmers as much as offered by them. During Rabi 2026-27 procurement season, the Government of India has already registered 1.5 lakh pulse farmers through NAFED & NCCF. (b) & (c) : The Union Cabinet has approved a Centrally Sponsored Scheme, “Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses”, on 1st October, 2025 with a financial outlay of Rs 11,440 crore for a period of six years from 2025-26 to 2030-31. The objective of the Mission is to enhance pulses production with a special focus on Tur, Urad and Masoor, promote production and availability of climate resilient seeds for farmers, increase area under pulses cultivation and promote post-harvest storage and management technologies, support for procurement of Tur, Urad and Masoor by NAFED and the NCCF for next four years as per Price Support Scheme (PSS) norms under Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan (PM-AASHA). To strengthen post-harvest infrastructure, financial assistance is provided for construction of new Pulse Processing, Packaging Units @ 33% of the project cost or maximum up to Rs. 25 lakh (whichever is less). 1000 processing units have been targeted over the period 2025-26 to 2030-31. Further, 23 pulse processing units have been approved for Creation and Expansion of Food Processing and Preservation Capacities (CEFPPC) under Pradhan Mantri Kisan SAMPADA Yojana (PMKSY), of which 18 projects have been completed. Total project cost of the above mentioned projects is Rs. 315.88 Crore with total approved Grants-in-aid (GIA)/subsidy of Rs. 74.39 cr to creat processing capacity of 4.44 LMT per annum. *****