UP Govt ramps up pulses and oilseeds drive to ensure food security, price stability

In a bid to ensure food price stability and strengthen food security, the Uttar Pradesh government has intensified efforts to boost the production of pulses and oilseeds—two essential staples in every Indian kitchen.

Given their sensitivity to price fluctuations and consistent demand from India’s 140 crore population, even a slight supply imbalance can impact international markets and lead to price surges—especially affecting densely populated states like Uttar Pradesh.

To mitigate such scenarios and ensure affordable access to essentials like pulses and cooking oil, the state is ramping up production. This includes encouraging farmers to expand cultivation areas and ensuring they receive fair prices for their produce.

The double-engine government—led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Centre and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in the state—has made targeted interventions in this sector.

Recently, the central government hiked the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for key Kharif crops, with pulses and oilseeds registering increases ranging from 81% to 172% over the past decade. The lowest increase was 81% for groundnut, while the highest—172%—was for niger seed.

In addition to price support, the government is actively training and assisting farmers in adopting improved agricultural practices. As part of the country’s largest-ever agricultural campaign — Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan —farmers are being trained in advanced cultivation techniques for pulses and oilseeds.

Under this initiative, the Yogi government is distributing 4.58 lakh free minikits to progressive farmers, including 1.05 lakh kits of pulses such as urad, moong, and arhar, 1 lakh kits for sesame (til), and 6,000 kits for groundnut.

The government is also implementing dedicated schemes like the Dalhan-Tilhan Mission and the Dalhan Gram Yojana to expand cultivation. Pulses have also been integrated into the state’s flagship One District, One Product (ODOP) initiative.

According to data released by the state government on Saturday, oilseed production in Uttar Pradesh stood at just 12.40 lakh metric tonnes in 2016–17. By 2023–24, it had risen to 20.31 lakh metric tonnes—a significant growth of 128%. A similar upward trend has been observed in pulse production.

This positive trajectory is expected to continue, supported by ambitious initiatives like the UP AGREES project, being implemented with World Bank support, focused on developing regions like Bundelkhand and Purvanchal.

This article has been republished from The Statesman.