Pulses are important and integral ingredient
of rich protein diet for human being but the
availability of pulses per person in the country has
been dropping and prices are sky-rocketing. Although
India contributes to 70-75 per cent of total global
output, it annually imports 2 to 3 mt to meet the
shortage. The favourable government policies,
assured procurement, high yielding varieties and
improved irrigation technologies have encouraged
farmers to allocate more area to wheat and paddy
in North India, but their extensive cultivation has
led to depletion of water resources and declined soil
fertility with respect to macro and micro nutrients.