PULSES

Pulses for Nutrition in India: Changing Pattern from Farm to Fork book authored by Devesh Roy, P K Joshi and Raj Chandra – is released by H.E. the President of India, Hon. Shri Ram Nath Kovind and Shri E.S.L. Narsimhan Garu, Governor of AP and Telangana in the inaugural session at 100th Annual Conference of the Indian Economic Association on December 27, 2017 at Acharya Nagarjuna University, Nagarjuna Nagar, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh.

Despite rich in natural resources such as water, fertile soil, mineral reserves and sun, Bihar and Odisha have not been able to capitalize upon their vast resources due lack of infrastructure (like roads, power and markets), concentration of the poor population with high density in most parts, weak institutions (such as credit, insurance, education and extension) and weak governance.

Global demand for pulses is rapidly increasing. As noted in a recent editorial, filling the demand-supply gap will be critical. For the South Asia region, pulses are traditionally important food commodities and cheap sources of protein.

A paper in Food Policy provides a review of various studies on the impacts of agricultural interventions on the nutritional status in South Asia. Past review exercises and studies have analysed the available evidences to understand the ways in which agriculture can be leveraged to enhance nutritional status, however, very few of them have employed a systematic approach encompassing a significant number of studies.

India is both the largest producer and consumer of pulses in the world, with production and consumption preferences within the country varying by region. In terms of cultivation, for example, the country had 72 percent of the total global area of pigeon peas, 68 percent of the global area of chickpeas, and around 37 percent of the global area of lentils in 2012  (according to FAOSTAT), which accounted for 61, 68, and 20 percent (respectively) of global production.

Every year close to the budget dates in February, newspapers and magazines publish industry experts ideas and opinion on what

The per capita demand for pulses is declining in India. Yet they remain a cheap and an important source of