India grew a record 274 lakh (27.4 million) tonnes of pulses — and cut its import bill by nearly a third

One year into the Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses, the harvest is speaking for itself. India's pulse production hit 274.09 lakh (27.4 million) tonnes in 2025-26, up from 256.83 lakh (25.7 million) tonnes the year before, according to an official factsheet released on October 11. The import bill collapsed 31.52%, from ₹46,427 crore (about $4.9 billion) to ₹31,793 crore (about $3.3 billion), while exports rose 13.4% to $969.53 million — with China, the UAE, Bangladesh, the US and Sri Lanka as top buyers. Cultivation area expanded to 286.46 lakh (28.6 million) hectares and yields crept up from 926 to 957 kg per hectare. The ₹11,440 crore (about $1.2 billion) mission now targets nearly 350 lakh tonnes by 2030-31, powered by 87.5 lakh free seed kits and climate-resilient varieties for farmers from Madhya Pradesh to West Bengal. The world's biggest pulse eater is learning to feed itself.