Uttarakhand - Department of Land Resources

Pulses : As is evident from the graph, the State is severely lacking in pulses, which are a
critical part of food security as most important supply of protein. The state has been
traditionally producing Rajma, Guerns (Lal dal) and Gahat. There is potential for
development of other pulses in the state. Cropping patterns and „package of best
cropping practices‟ needs to be extended to the farmers, and there is a need to increase
the area under production and productivity of pulses in the state. The state also has the
opportunity for producing and marketing the traditional pulses with high nutritional value
like Gahat. This highly nutritious pulse is mainly consumed in winter. Soup made from
this grain is believed to maintain body warmth during severe winters. This soup has
medicinal properties, it is a cure to kidney stone. Other pulses grown in the state are
Arhar, Urad, Moong, Gram and Masoor. Masoor is the main pulse from the state with
nearly 15,950 hectares under cultivation. The productivity of the pulses and area under
production can be increased with promotion of scientific cropping patterns in the state.
Exhibit-3-IV
Millets : The State of Uttarakhand is deficit in millet production that includes madua,
sawaa, koto and oat. Though eight of the thirteen districts produce more than their local
requirement. The millet requirement per capita per year is 42 Kg.
Millet is a very important crop for the difficult Himalayan conditions as they have high
nutritional value and are one of the cheapest sources of dietary energy, in the form
proteins and carbohydrates. Such crops are particularly valuable in the mountains where
most of the population depends on vegetable proteins and carbohydrates as dietary
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