New Delhi, October 11: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday urged India’s farmers to cultivate export-oriented crops and move beyond traditional staples such as rice and wheat, as he launched two new agricultural schemes aimed at boosting self-sufficiency and rural incomes.
Speaking at an event in New Delhi, Modi unveiled the Dhan Dhaanya Krishi Yojana and the Pulses Self-Reliance Mission, calling them major steps toward transforming India’s farm sector into a globally competitive and nutritionally secure system.
“The Pulses Self-Reliance Mission is not just about crops — it is a mission to empower our future generations,” Modi said. “Flour and rice can satisfy hunger, but for nutrition, we need protein — and pulses are the way forward.”
The new mission, worth over ₹11,000 crore ($1.3 billion), aims to expand pulse cultivation by 3.5 million hectares and benefit about 20 million pulse farmers nationwide. India is currently one of the world’s largest importers of pulses, and Modi said the plan would help the country cut imports and become a net exporter.
“India’s farmers must think beyond self-sufficiency. We have to focus on crops that have global demand and ensure our produce reaches international markets,” he said. “We should reduce imports and lead when it comes to exports.”
The Prime Minister said the government’s focus was on reducing input costs and raising farmers’ profits, highlighting the impact of Goods and Services Tax (GST) reforms in rural areas.
He claimed that GST reforms had doubled savings for rural households and lowered costs on essential goods and farm tools. “Today, farmers are buying tractors in large numbers during the festive season because they have become cheaper,” Modi said, contrasting the situation with the previous Congress government.
“When the Congress was in power, the tax on a tractor was ₹70,000. After the new GST reforms, the same tractor has become cheaper by about ₹40,000,” he said.
The Prime Minister said the two new initiatives would help Indian agriculture become more resilient, profitable and globally integrated, while ensuring better nutrition for the population. “The country imports pulses in large quantities from abroad. The new mission will change that,” Modi said, calling on farmers to see themselves as “providers not just for India, but for the world.”
