Lentil Production in India

• 19 Jan 2024

Why in News?

As per the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, India is set to become the world’s largest producer of lentils (masoor) during the 2023-24 crop year on account of higher acreage.

• The Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh is considered a lentil bowl which contributes nearly 25% to the total lentil production in the country.

Key Points

• Lentil production is estimated to touch an all-time high of 1.6 million tonnes in the 2023-24 rabi season on higher acreage.
• India is the largest producer (25% of global production), consumer (27% of world consumption) and importer (14%) of pulses in the world.
  • Pulses account for around 20% of the area under food grains and contribute around 7-10% of the total foodgrains production in the country.
  • Gram is the most dominant pulse having a share of around 40 % in the total production followed by Tur/Arhar at 15 to 20 % and Urad/Black Matpe and Moong at around 8-10 % each.
  • Though pulses are grown in both Kharif and Rabi seasons, Rabi pulses contribute more than 60% of the total production.
  • Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka are the top five pulses-producing states.
• The policy prescription for ensuring reasonable prices to the farmers largely centres around procuring the pulses by providing Minimum Support Prices (MSP) to the farmers through National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) and more recently through Small Farmers Agri Consortium (SFAC).

Lentils

• About:
  • Lentil is a bushy annual herbaceous plant of the legume family.
  • These are edible legumes, known for their lens-shaped, flat disced seed.
  • Lentil plants are typically short, and bear self-pollinated flowers.
  • Lentil grains are excellent sources of energy, carbohydrates, protein, fat, fibers, phosphorus, iron, zinc, carotene, vitamins, and antioxidants.
• Climatic Condition:
  • Lentil is primarily grown as a rainfed crop.
  • It requires cold temperature during its vegetative growth and warm temperature at the time of maturity.
  • Lentil is grown during rabi season.
• Soil Types:
  • Lentils can grow on various soil types, from sand to clay loam, growing best in deep sandy loam soils with moderate fertility.
  • A soil pH around 7 would be the best. Lentils do not tolerate flooding or water-logged conditions.