Pulses are one of the important food crops globally due to their higher protein content. Pulses are an important group of crops in India, which is also responsible for yielding large financial gains by amounting to a large part of the exports. Pulses are the major sources of protein in the diet. Of all categories of people, pulses form an integral part of the Indian diet, providing much-needed protein to the carbohydrate-rich diet. India is the largest producer of pulses in the world. Pulses are 20 to 25 percent protein by weight which is double the protein content of wheat and three times that of rice.

Major pulses are grown chickpeas (gram), pigeon pea (tur or arhar), moong beans, urad (black matpe), masur (lentil), peas and various kinds of beans.

The major regions of pulse cultivation are Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, West Bengal delta region, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and some parts of Maharashtra

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The country has exported 626,653.80 MT of pulses to the world for the worth of Rs. 5,689.40 Crores/ 686.90 USD Millions during the year 2023-24. (Source: DGCIS).