India imports a large quantity of pulses from foreign countries, as per the report released, India imported 4.65 million metric tonnes of pulses in the financial year 2023-24. However, in a significant advancement for Indian agriculture scientists at the International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) have developed a variety of Arhar dal hat can withstand high summer temperatures up to 45°C.
Scientists used speed breeding technique to cut short the breeding time significantly. Successful trials of this new variety in Karnataka, Odisha, and Telangana yield 2 tonnes per hectare. India annually produces approximately 3.5 million tonnes of Arhar dal (pigeon pea), whereas the demand is more than 5 million tonnes. To overcome this shortage, India imports pulses worth about US$ 800 million annually.
The new variety not only has the capacity to tolerate high temperatures, but also the new variety – ICPV 25444 – will help farmers double the output to 2 tonnes per hectare from the current level of 1.1-12 a hectare. It will also reduce the harvesting time from 6-7 months to 4 months.
This advancement by Indian Scientists will bring a major boost in Indian agricultural sector along with the significant decrease in the figures of import of Arhar dal (pigeon pea).