In a bid to achieve self-sufficiency in pulses production for reducing the reliance on imported leguminous, the Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC) has provided about 12 portable irrigation systems to growers of different areas under its pulses enhancement project. Besides, the council had also released 15 varieties of different pulses and provided subsidized seeds of different beans to over 41,705 farmers across the pulses production areas in the country, said Chairman Pakistan Agriculture Research Council Dr Ghulam Muhammad Ali. Talking to APP, on Monday, he said that the seeds of different pulses were provided to local farmers on a 50pc subsidy, aiming at enhancing the per-acre output of different pulses for attaining self-sufficiency in leguminous production. The other objective of the initiative was to reduce the reliance on imported pulses which were consuming billions of dollars annually as well as to fulfill nutrient requirements in less developed areas of the country, he added. Under the program, national pulses policy framework was developed, besides organizing 3 stakeholders traveling seminars and distribution of pulses machinery among the farmers across the four provinces, adding that after the commencement of the program country’s mung bean production was 133 thousand tons, which enhanced to 209 thousand tons after the first year of interventions. He said that the council had also introduced other interventions included on the provision of improved seed varieties on 50pc subsidy, farmers’ capacity building, and on farmers’ field demonstration plots with improved production technology.