The Gujarat government announced a significant agricultural achievement on Monday, revealing that the state's pulse sector has witnessed transformative growth over the past six years. Key metrics of area, productivity, and production have all shown impressive upward trends, strengthening the state's position in pulse cultivation.
Quantifying the Growth: From Area to Yield
According to an official statement, the transformation is backed by solid data. In the base year of 2019-20, the total area under pulse crops in Gujarat stood at 9 lakh hectares. This land produced 10.58 lakh metric tonnes, with a productivity rate of 1,173 kg per hectare.
Fast forward to 2024-25, and the landscape has changed dramatically. The cultivation area expanded to 14.39 lakh hectares—a 1.5-fold increase. More importantly, total production skyrocketed to 21.52 lakh metric tonnes, effectively doubling the output. The productivity per hectare also rose to 1,495 kg, marking a 1.25-times improvement and highlighting more efficient farming practices.
The Chickpea Champion and Other Pulses
Drilling down into the data, chickpeas (chana) emerge as the undisputed leader in Gujarat's pulse basket. Accounting for over 70% of the state's total pulse production, chickpeas have been the primary driver of this growth story.
The numbers are staggering: chickpea production jumped from 6.36 lakh metric tonnes in 2019-20 to a massive 15.63 lakh metric tonnes in 2024-25. This represents a 2.5-fold increase in just six years, underscoring a major shift in farmer preference and successful cultivation strategies.
The government also noted substantial progress in other pulse crops. Production of pigeon pea (tur), along with staples like black gram (urad), green gram (moong), and moth beans, has seen a consistent rise, contributing to a more diversified and resilient pulse economy in the state.
Government Policy as a Growth Catalyst
Behind this agricultural success lies proactive government policy. The state administration highlighted that it has consistently increased the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for pulses every year. This assured price mechanism has played a crucial role in mitigating market risks for farmers, making pulse cultivation a more attractive and financially viable proposition.
This policy encouragement, combined with improved farming techniques and possibly better seed varieties, has motivated a larger number of farmers to allocate more land to pulses. The result is a win-win scenario that enhances farmers' income while boosting the state's and nation's food security and reducing dependency on imports.
The comprehensive growth across all parameters—area, yield, and total production—paints a picture of a thriving agricultural sub-sector. Gujarat's model offers valuable insights into how targeted support and market assurance can lead to substantial gains in pulse production, a critical component of India's nutritional security.
