A short drive from Bhopal towards the banks of the Narmada leads you to what was once the tur (pigeonpea) heartland of Madhya Pradesh. Despite its proximity to the river, most farmers were dependent on the rains. Over time, farmers have dug shallow tubewells to irrigate their land, which only meant the loss of more tur plots to wheat. Despite the soaring prices of pulses—up 30 per cent since last year—tur does not stand a chance.

Ashok Meena’s family owns 70 acres at Jehanpur village in Sihor district of Madhya Pradesh. Jehanpur tur was once famous in the mandis of North India for their distinct flavour. This year, Meena decided to grow only in 20 acres compared to 40 acres last year. "Last year, I lost Rs 1.5 lakh. The pest attack was heavy and unseasonal rains washed away the crops," he said. This year, though he cut down on the area of cultivation, the crop has been great, he claims, pointing to a room that is full-up to the windows with unpolished yellow tur dal. "It is a gamble. Some years, we are lucky but in most we make losses. I am still in a position to bear losses; some others in the village are not,'' says Meena.

That is why compared to the 123 villages that used to grow tur, now barely 25-30 villages sow the pulse. Years of research and crores of rupees have not been able to reduce the gamble for farmers—they fear the wilt and the pest attack as much as their forefathers did generations ago.

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