Sehore (Madhya Pradesh) [India], February 7 : Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan inaugurated a newly constructed ICARDA (International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas) administrative building, training centre and advanced plant tissue culture laboratory in Sehore district on Saturday.
They also launched the National Pulses Mission Portal and addressed the 'Rashtriya Paramarsh evam Ranneeti Sammelan' organised under the National 'Dalhan Aatmanirbharta' Mission on the occasion, according to an official release.
CM Yadav stated that this new ICARDA facility would open new avenues of hope and opportunity for the state's farmers. The centre will play a historic role in connecting farmers with scientific farming practices, advanced technology and global agricultural experience.
The Chief Minister added that India is the world's largest producer and consumer of pulses. Madhya Pradesh ranks first in pulses production in the country. As a result, farmers of the state will derive the maximum benefit from this mission.
Emphasising irrigation expansion and water conservation, the CM said that the scientific models developed by ICARDA would provide a strong foundation for state schemes. The joint efforts of the Union Ministry of Agriculture and ICARDA can help make Madhya Pradesh a national and global model of sustainable and prosperous agriculture.
He stated that the national conference in Sehore would serve as a strong platform for in-depth deliberations on current challenges, core concerns and future possibilities in the pulses sector, proving to be a milestone in policymaking and research.
The Chief Minister further said that pulses are a daily staple in every Indian household and are essential across all seasons. The levels of production and consumption indicate that much more work needs to be done in the pulses sector. Therefore, Madhya Pradesh will rapidly increase pulse production, working in close coordination with the Central Government. The state government will extend all necessary support to fulfil the Centre's mission and resolve to make the country self-reliant in pulses. Together, India will achieve the goal of pulses prosperity.
On the other hand, Union Minister Chouhan said that India must become self-reliant in pulses. Except for moong, production of other pulses has declined, and importing pulses from abroad is not in the national interest. He noted that Madhya Pradesh continues to lead the country in pulses production. Farmers should not limit themselves to wheat, soybeans, and paddy; they should adopt crop rotation. Production of gram, lentil, urad and tibbada needs to be increased. Through ICARDA, improved pulse seeds will be developed.
Under the 'Dalhan Aatmanirbharta' Mission, pulse clusters will be created, and with ICARDA's support, seed villages and seed hubs will be established. Model farmers will receive an incentive of Rs 10,000 per hectare for pulse cultivation. The Ministry will support farmers from seed to market. In these clusters, anyone wishing to set up a dal mill will receive a Rs 25 lakh grant from the Government of India. To ensure fair prices for farmers, 1,000 dal mills will be set up across the country, including 55 in Madhya Pradesh, the Union Minister said.
He added that the Madhya Pradesh Government declared 2026 as the Farmer Welfare Year, and the Union Agriculture Ministry stands firmly with the state government.
Additionally, Chouhan said that the Central Government will procure pulses at Rs 8,000 per quintal for tur, Rs 7,800 per quintal for urad, Rs 5,875 per quintal for gram, and Rs 7,000 per quintal for lentil, with 100% procurement of all pulses.
He further informed that Madhya Pradesh would receive Rs 354 crore under the Pulses Self-Reliance Mission and presented the mission's budget sanction letters to the agriculture ministers of various states present at the conference.