Faisalabad [Pakistan], February 23 : Agricultural specialists have expressed serious concern over the persistent drop in Pakistan's pulse output, cautioning that the country is spending close to $980 million annually on imports to fulfil local requirements, as reported by The Express Tribune (TET).
Rana Muhammad Tayyib, President of the Punjab Pulses Importers Association and Chairman of the Grain Market, stated that before 1998, Pakistan was among the top exporters of pulses. However, the export ban introduced during the Musharraf period discouraged growers, as pulses turned into a low-profit crop. He further noted that the country's yearly consumption demand is about 1.62 million tons, out of which nearly 1.07 million tons are brought in through imports. This, he said, reflects the weak performance of the Federal Seed Corporation, which has not succeeded in developing heat-tolerant and resilient pulse seed varieties, according to TET.
Consequently, almost 80 percent of the pulses consumed nationwide are imported. Tayyib also pointed to the effects of climate change on agricultural production. He explained that in rain-dependent regions such as Thal, timely rainfall can boost yields by up to 35 percent, whereas insufficient rain leads to significant losses and discourages farmers from planting pulses in subsequent seasons.
These issues were deliberated during a seminar organised at the Pulses Research Institute of the Ayub Agricultural Research Institute (AARI) in observance of World Pulses Day. Experts observed that while Pakistan's annual requirement stands at roughly 1.5 million tons, domestic production meets only a small portion of this need, compelling the country to import nearly one million tons every year, the TET report stated.
Khalid Hussain, Chief Scientist of the Pulses Section at AARI, underscored the importance of pulses both for human nutrition and soil fertility. He further remarked that growers are reluctant to cultivate pulses due to limited financial returns and export curbs. A PC-1 proposal aimed at promoting pulse cultivation has been drafted and submitted to the relevant authorities, but it remains awaiting approval, the report added.