Socioeconomic constraints to legumes production in rice-wheat cropping systems of India

Despite lower cost of production and higher output prices of legumes, their profitability has remained too low in comparison with rice and wheat. Even if the existing subsidies on fertilizers and electricity for irrigation are withdrawn, it was shown that the rice-wheat cropping sequence remains most profitable. Inclusion of legumes in the system helped in conserving the natural resource base, particularly soil fertility and groundwater, but at the cost of profit, food grain production, and unemployment of fixed resources. The prime need is to break the existing yield barriers of legumes and design innovative policies on risk and resource management