Diversify agriculture and encourage farmers to grow pulses, SC tells govt.

Here is the complete UPSC study note:

Supreme Court Directive on Agricultural Diversification & Pulse Cultivation

Topic: Diversify Agriculture and Encourage Farmers to Grow Pulses — SC Tells Govt.

1. At a Glance

• The Supreme Court of India (Bench headed by CJI Surya Kant) directed the Union government on 16 March 2026 to revisit its policy framework and incentivise farmers to shift from wheat and paddy to pulses. [S1]
• The directive touches core UPSC themes: agricultural policy, MSP, food security, judicial intervention in policy, crop diversification, and import dependence.
• India remains a net importer of pulses (imported 47.38 lakh MT in 2023-24) despite being the world's largest producer and consumer — a structural paradox the SC has flagged. [S4]
• This case illustrates the expanding role of the judiciary in executive policymaking — a recurring GS-II and GS-III theme.

2. Why in the News

• 16 March 2026: SC bench (CJI Surya Kant) directed the Centre, through Ministries of Agriculture, Commerce, and Consumer Affairs, to convene a stakeholder meeting and form a committee of ground-level experts to make pulse cultivation "worthwhile" for farmers. [S1]
• Key issues flagged by the Court:
• Inadequate MSP not covering actual cultivation costs of small/medium farmers.
• No guarantee of timely procurement of pulses at MSP.
• Duty-free import of yellow peas (allowed until 20 February 2025) undercutting domestic pulse prices. [S4]
• The ruling coincided with the government's own Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses (Cabinet-approved October 2025), giving the judicial direction added urgency. [S5]

3. Background & Evolution

• 1966–onward: Green Revolution locked North India into a wheat-paddy monoculture, driven by MSP incentives, irrigation infrastructure (especially in Punjab-Haryana), and assured procurement through FCI.
• 1965: Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) established — the body that recommends MSP for pulses annually. [S2]
• 2015-16: India's pulse production hit a low of ~163 lakh MT; government launched various schemes to boost output.
• 2016: International Year of Pulses (FAO) — India aligned domestic push with global focus. [S6]
• 2018: PM-AASHA (Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan) launched — umbrella scheme for MSP-based procurement of pulses and oilseeds via the Price Support Scheme (PSS). [S3]
• 2025 Union Budget: Government announced 100% procurement guarantee for tur (arhar), urad, and masoor for four years (up to 2028-29); PM-AASHA procurement guarantee enhanced from ₹45,000 crore to ₹60,000 crore. [S2]
• October 2025: Cabinet approved Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses (2025-26 to 2030-31). [S5]
• March 2026: SC intervention directing policy overhaul. [S1]

4. Core Static Facts

5. Multi-Dimensional Analysis

Economic

• India's net import of ~47 LMT pulses (2023-24) implies significant forex outgo and vulnerability to global commodity price shocks (Canada, Australia, Myanmar are key suppliers). [S4]
• Pulse cultivation is less input-intensive than paddy (lower water, fertiliser), but low MSP relative to costs and lack of assured markets make it economically unviable for marginal farmers. [S1]
• Duty-free yellow pea imports suppressed domestic pulse prices, creating a direct disincentive — the SC explicitly noted this price distortion. [S1][S4]
• Government enhanced PM-AASHA guarantee to ₹60,000 crore to bridge this gap, but ground-level implementation remains weak. [S2]

Environmental

• Paddy cultivation in Punjab-Haryana depletes groundwater at alarming rates — the SC's observation that "do we require such a quantity of paddy?" is directly tied to the groundwater crisis in northwestern India. [S1]
• Pulses are nitrogen-fixing crops — they replenish soil fertility, reduce need for synthetic nitrogen fertilisers, and cut greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture.
• Monoculture of wheat-paddy has led to soil degradation, stubble burning, and air pollution in the Indo-Gangetic Plain — diversification to pulses addresses multiple environmental stresses simultaneously.
• FAO identifies pulses as central to sustainable food systems and climate-resilient agriculture. [S6]

Legal / Constitutional

• The SC's intervention is via judicial review of executive policy — a rare but constitutional exercise of power to ensure the State fulfils its obligations toward the farming community.
• The direction to the Centre to convene stakeholder meetings touches on cooperative federalism: pulse policy requires Centre-State coordination (land, irrigation, agriculture are State subjects under Schedule VII, List II, Entry 14).
• MSP itself has no statutory backing — it is an administrative price support tool; repeated farmer demands for a legal guarantee of MSP remain unaddressed, a fact the SC's concerns amplify. [S2]

Social

• Small and marginal farmers (landholdings < 2 ha), who constitute ~86% of India's farming households, bear the highest risk in pulse cultivation due to price volatility and lack of assured procurement. [S1]
• Pulses are the primary protein source for India's low-income population; price spikes in pulses disproportionately affect food security of the poor.
• North India's paddy trap: Punjab farmers locked into paddy owing to MSP incentives and irrigation infrastructure — transitioning requires both income support and infrastructure reorientation.

Administrative

• The SC directed the Centre to form a committee of ground-level experts ("who knows the psyche and compelling circumstances of the farming community") — indicating existing policy is technocratic and disconnected from field realities. [S1]
• Three ministries are jointly responsible — Agriculture, Commerce, Consumer Affairs — creating coordination challenges; the SC explicitly named all three. [S1]
• PM-AASHA's PSS for procurement is triggered only when market prices fall below MSP, meaning farmers must first absorb price risk before relief kicks in — a structural design flaw.

Historical

• The Green Revolution (1960s-70s) solved food security for cereals but created structural distortions: paddy-wheat dominance, groundwater depletion, soil exhaustion — all now sought to be corrected through diversification. [S1]
• The 1987 National Seeds Policy and later National Food Security Mission (2007) included pulses, but production gains remained insufficient given demand growth and urbanisation.

6. Recent Developments (Last 12–18 Months)

• October 2025: Union Cabinet approved Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses for 2025-26 to 2030-31 — a dedicated multi-year programme to boost domestic production and reduce imports. [S5]
• 2025-26 Union Budget: 100% procurement guarantee announced for tur, urad, masoor for four years; PM-AASHA guarantee raised to ₹60,000 crore. [S2]
• 20 February 2025: Duty-free import window for yellow peas closed — a policy reversal aimed at protecting domestic growers. [S4]
• 2024-25: Pulse production estimated at 252.38 lakh MT, the highest in recent years, driven by good monsoon; Kharif moong output up 20% YoY. [S4]
• NITI Aayog released report "Strategies and Pathways for Accelerating Growth in Pulses towards the Goal of Atmanirbharta" — provided policy roadmap. [S5]
• 16 March 2026: Supreme Court (CJI Surya Kant bench) directs Union government to revisit policy, form expert committee, and hold stakeholder consultations involving Agriculture, Commerce, and Consumer Affairs ministries. [S1]
• Russia-India discussions (Deputy Minister of Russian Agriculture met Secretary, Dept. of Consumer Affairs) on pulse trade cooperation — signalling diplomatic dimension of India's import dependency. [S4]

7. Prelims Hooks

1. Pulses are classified as Kharif, Rabi, or Zaid crops depending on variety: Tur and Moong are primarily Kharif; Masoor and Chana are Rabi. [S2]
2. MSP for pulses is recommended by the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) and approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA). [S2]
3. PM-AASHA (launched 2018) is the umbrella scheme for MSP-based procurement; pulse procurement under it uses the Price Support Scheme (PSS). [S3]
4. The PM-AASHA guarantee was enhanced from ₹45,000 crore to ₹60,000 crore in Union Budget 2025-26. [S2]
5. India's total pulse production in 2024-25 (3rd Advance Estimate): 252.38 lakh MT — a 31% rise over 192.6 LMT in 2013-14. [S4]
6. India imported 47.38 lakh MT of pulses in 2023-24 while exporting only 5.94 lakh MT — making it a net importer. [S4]
7. Duty-free import of yellow peas was allowed until 20 February 2025 to check domestic inflation. [S4]
8. Agriculture is a State subject under Schedule VII, List II, Entry 14 of the Constitution — Centre's role is via concurrent and union-level fiscal instruments.
9. The SC directive (March 2026) named three ministries responsible for pulse policy reform: Agriculture, Commerce, and Consumer Affairs. [S1]
10. Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses: approved by Union Cabinet on 1 October 2025; runs from 2025-26 to 2030-31. [S5]
11. Pulses fix atmospheric nitrogen — they are naturally soil-enriching and reduce dependence on synthetic nitrogenous fertilisers.
12. The SC Bench directing agricultural diversification was headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant. [S1]
13. The FAO designated 2016 as the International Year of Pulses, aligning India's domestic pulse push with global efforts. [S6]
14. NITI Aayog published the report "Strategies and Pathways for Accelerating Growth in Pulses towards the Goal of Atmanirbharta" as the policy framework. [S5]

8. Mains Relevance

Plausible Mains Question Stems:

1. "The Supreme Court's directive to diversify agriculture towards pulses highlights the structural failures of India's MSP and procurement architecture. Critically examine." (GS-III)
2. "India's paddy-wheat monoculture in North India is an ecological and economic liability. Discuss the challenges and policy imperatives for agricultural diversification with reference to pulses." (GS-III)
3. "Judicial intervention in executive agricultural policy — a necessary corrective or an overreach? Analyse with reference to recent Supreme Court directions on pulse cultivation." (GS-II)

9. Related Topics to Study Next

10. Common Errors / Trap Areas

1. Confusing PM-AASHA sub-schemes: PM-AASHA has three sub-components — PSS (Price Support Scheme for pulses/oilseeds), PDPS (Price Deficiency Payment Scheme), and PPIS (Private Procurement & Stockist Scheme). Students often conflate them.
2. MSP has no statutory backing — a common error is to assume MSP is legally guaranteed. It is purely an administrative mechanism; there is no law mandating procurement at MSP.
3. Yellow peas ≠ Chana (chickpea) — yellow peas (Pisum sativum) are a distinct import commodity; confusing them with domestic chana (gram) distorts the import substitution argument.
4. Agriculture is a State subject (List II, Entry 14) — students often wrongly place it in the Concurrent List. The Centre influences it through centrally sponsored schemes and MSP, not direct legislation.
5. Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses vs. National Food Security Mission (NFSM) — NFSM (launched 2007) also covers pulses but is older and broader; the 2025 Mission is a newer, dedicated intervention. Do not conflate the two.

11. Sources

• [S1] SC directive on pulse diversification — The Hindu, 16 March 2026 — https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/2026-03-16/ (Tier 4 — primary article)
• [S2] Minimum Support Prices: From Safety Net to Self-Sufficiency — PIB — https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2177219 (Tier 1)
• [S3] Cabinet approves MSP for Rabi Crops / PM-AASHA context — PIB — https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1968729 (Tier 1)
• [S4] Production and Import of Pulses — PIB — https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2039209 (Tier 1)
• [S5] Union Cabinet Approves Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses 2025-26 to 2030-31 — PIB — https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2173549 (Tier 1)
• [S6] The Global Economy of Pulses — FAO Knowledge Repository — https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/2c70eed3-4170-4b0e-963b-995323fe94a1/content (Tier 2)