Pulses are a Superfood! They contain high level of Iron, Mangnesium, Zinc, Potassium & B Vitamins. Not just that they are a powerhouse of anti-oxidants also. Pulses have been a major source of human & animal nutrition since ancient times. They play an important role in solving the global problem of hunger and malnutrition.
Every year since 2019, February 10 is celebrated as World Pulses Day to highlight the increased access to these crops among underprivileged sections of the global population.
This year’s UN FAO theme for World Pulses Day is “Pulses to empower youth in achieving sustainable agri food systems”. In the above context, Krishi Jagran organized a Live session on “Pulses to Empower Youth in Achieving Sustainable Seed Production, Distribution & Agri-Food System” on 10th February 2022 (1400 hrs onwards).
This event was moderated by MC Dominic, Founder & Editor-in-chief of Agriculture World & Krishi Jagran.
Many esteemed speakers participated in this session and shared their wisdom, among them, the first one was Avinash Dangi, a progressive farmer. He said Pulses have been a part of traditional Indian food for a long time and India is home to various varieties of Pulses. He further stressed that Indigenous Varieties need to be promoted in order to achieve self-sufficiency in Pulses production.
Vijay Sardana, Advocate, Supreme Court of India & NGT, Techno-Legal & Techno-Commercial, Corporate Governance Advisor & Trainer highlighted the importance of pulses for human health. He said, "These benefits are not only limited to 'High Protein Content', but they also offer a very conducive environment for the gut bacteria & are very good for people with diabetes." In addition, Pulses are equally good for animals i.e., pulses biomass is an amazing source of fodder, he added.
He further said that "farmers must practice crop rotations with pulses to maintain good soil health." He finally closed his speech by saying "Any food product that does not contain pulses is JUNK FOOD!"
Chief Guest- Dr Ashok Dalwai Chief Executive Officer, National Rainfed area Authority (NRAA), Ministry of Agriculture, GOI said, "The food systems that had evolved in different parts of the world were disrupted in the 20th Century".
He further said the food systems in most parts of the world were in-sync with the seasonal patterns, and therefore the respective outputs of various seasons constituted the dietetic patterns of the people.
Sudhakar Tomar, President, India Middle East Agro Trade Industry & Investment Forum (IIMEA-TIIF) said, presented his views in a concise manner.
He said that Pulses are a superfood that have sustained the demand of a significant proportion of the population which is vegetarian for thousands of years. Pulses are an important part of food in Indian Diets, with all the aspects such as religious as well as from the cultural point of view, he added saying Pulses are in the Blood of Indian Population.
He beautifully explained the “3Ps” with respect to the pulses that stands for:
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People: Pulses have uncountable Nutritional Benefits for Humans
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Planet: Pulses help in climate change mitigation and help in enhancing the soil health
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Pocket: Pulses are an affordable source of protein
Dr. Dinesh Chauhan, Vice President- New Initiative, DeHaat, Gurgaon, Haryana, said, “If we will talk about pulses then probably India is one of the largest producers as well as importers of pulses. Therefore, this category becomes much more relevant and important."
The average production or yield of pulses in India is around 600kg/ hectare whereas the international average production is around 950-1000kg/ha. Certainly, there is a lot of scope for improvement as despite being one of the largest growers or producers of pulses, that means there is a gap in terms of productivity.” he added.
Dr. Pankaj Kumar Tyagi, General Manager- Production, National Seeds Corporation Limited, expressed gratitude to MC Dominic for organizing such an event on World Pulses Day. He emphasized the importance of pulses, saying, "Pulses are a source of energy that contains protein, carbohydrate, and a good amount of fat." It's also better for the environment because it produces fewer emissions. Aside from that, it aids in nitrogen fixation and increases soil organic matter content."
Furthermore, he stressed the role of National Seeds Corporation Limited in ensuring the proper distribution of high-quality seeds to farmers. He also stated that NSC is working on newer seed varieties that are required for different agro-climatic zones, as well as agronomical operations (Packages & Practices).
Dr. Subrat Panda, Chief Technology Officer, AgNext Technologies, began his speech by thanking the Krishi Jagran Team and saying, "Pulses are the pulse of this country, and we must understand and maintain their quality through technologies."
Furthermore, he emphasized that we can accomplish this by enabling procurement, new trade options, and strong market linkages. As a result, he highlighted three critical things that are required for increasing pulse yields: policy support, technology support, and on-the-ground support such as raising farmer awareness about various agriculture-related schemes, and so on.
Dr. Shivendra Bajaj, Executive Director, Federation of Seed Industry of India (FSII), said that we need to identify the genetic resources & develop new varieties that are higher yielding. He said in India, hybridization is growing significantly but, in pulses, there is hardly any hybrids available. As we know that hybrids increase yield so we need to do more research to develop Hybrid Pulses. We must invest more in research & money to develop Hybrid Pulses, as well as adopt new technologies in the improvement of Pulses.
