In the middle of April, when food shortages were affecting the tiny coastal state of Goa, the Covid19 pandemic caused lockdowns. Due to the closure of wholesale markets, a message was sent out urging people to support local farmers rather than empty supermarket shelves and rely on locally grown food, as well as to help farmers who were unable to sell their produce.

Due to its size and still primarily rural nature, Goa provided a greater chance to purchase goods straight from the farmers. The tiny white bean with a unique black ‘eye,’ also known as black eyed beans, is one example of this. They are also known as lobia, chawli, karamani, and alasande in the Konkan region of India.

Due to the slave trade in colonial empires, it is claimed that these beans originated in West Africa but have since spread around the world. In many regions of India, it is simple to grow because it thrives on sandy soil and in warm temperatures. These beans are used to make olan, a traditional dish in the state of Kerala, by cooking it with coconut milk and ash gourd. However, it was shocking to learn that few Goans wanted to purchase them or knew how to cook them.

In the majority of India nowadays, the more sought-after pluses are mung, urad, tur, masoor, kabuli channa, and rajama to the point that the government had to import them in April. In addition to these, the inexpensive yellow peas were also imported, which are currently used in place of tur dal, are crushed into flour, and are used as a replacement for chickpea flour.

It’s a shame that we have to import these pulses for our needs when India can produce them for its own use. People rely on pulses for their protein needs, particularly in circumstances when meat is scarce or unavailable.

In areas where fresh green vegetables are scarce, dal is the sole savior. Dal’s versatility is enormous, making it well-liked not just as a side dish to go with rice or chapatti, but also in a variety of other dishes, such as gatte ki subzi, where dumplings of dal flour are cooked in a gravy, or pancakes known as chilla, which may be eaten as a snack either fried or dry roasted, and even in desserts like mysore paak, besan ke laddo, or simply it could be a one pot sumptuous meal called kitchri in which the dal and rice are cooked together and requires very little spices and yet tastes awesome.

It was also stated that even ration card holders would be given a kilogram of pulses with wheat and rice for three months. However, one drawback was the lengthy delay in delivery to states.

However, this import of pulses has presented a genuine danger to farmers, as it will cause the interest of farmers to shift away from pulse cultivation, which demands talent, patience, and a lot of effort, to other crops that need less labor. Instead, farmers should be encouraged to produce more pulses and depend less on imports.

The issue is that the Green Revolution, which was primarily centered on cereals like rice and wheat, can be followed. The pulses, which are a key component of Indian cuisine, were simply overlooked. As consumers, we appear to have a predetermined attitude toward pulses, as demonstrated by the popularity of blackeyed beans in Goa.

There is a resistance to change somewhere because we have a tendency to buy what we are used to or know. Because various regions of India favor diverse pulses, all of this creates a rather perplexing scenario. The West uses mung and tur, the East uses mung and channa, Punjab uses rajma and urad, and the North uses urad, channa, masoor, and toor, much like in Southern India. However, it’s comforting to know that, in the midst of all of this, there are 30 different pulses and around 15 lesser-known pulses, all of which are produced in India.

Kulith, horse gram, and other kinds of broad beans, sometimes known collectively as “vaal,” are some of the ignored pulses. Matki, or moth beans, are exceptionally drought-resistant and well-suited for semi-arid areas. Black chickpeas are another variety. In addition to these dried pulses, there are many varieties of their green forms, such as shelled peas or pods like French beans, lobia beans, guwar, and others, that may be plated as vegetables. These are also readily accessible and quite healthful in neighborhood green markets.

When imported in dried form, the benefits of these pulses are lost. Additionally, the agricultural system suffers even more since pulses and legumes naturally fertilize the soil by raising its nitrogen level and hence restoring its fertility. The fertility is restored without any additional expense, and the food is supplied as beans, pods, leaves, and even the dried pulses.

Ignoring our locally produced pulses is equivalent to failing to reap its benefits as a food source and even for the farmer. The lockout has reminded us of our local harvests and given us a chance to reconnect with them.