New Delhi, Sept. 30 -- India is preparing to introduce short-duration, high-yielding varieties of tur (pigeon pea) that can be harvested early, as it aims to curb sharp spikes in prices of pulses and cut reliance on imports, government officials said.

A few varieties have already been developed, and efforts are on to scale up more such breeds. These short-duration types of tur mature in 140-150 days, compared to the traditional crops that take 170-180 days, enabling farmers in northern states to expand tur acreage while freeing land for other crops in the same cycle, they said.

The initiative aims to diversify and expand the area under tur, which currently accounts for 39% of pulses acreage, or about 4.58 million hectares. Tur, along wi...