Pulse

Pulse (dal) dried edible seeds of some cultivated annual legumes, such as peas, beans, lentils, etc. The pulses contain high amount of protein (20-25%); due to some unusually high lysine content comparable to animal proteins and having less commercial price, the pulses are sometimes called as poor man's meat. Along with proteins, pulses also supply a good proportion of carbohydrate, fats and minerals.

Some common pulses

Kheshari, Masur

Mashkalai, Mung

Motor, Gram

The common pulses in Bangladesh are Masur (lentil), Mung (green gram), Mashkalai (black gram), Chhola (chick pea), Kheshari (lathyrus or grass pea), and Motor (pea). Kheshari is widely cultivated, mostly as fodder, and also consumed by the villagers of the northern part of the country. Masur is popular to all classes of people, and is taken in almost all meals. Mashkalai and Chhola are taken occasionally. Pulses are cultivated as rabi crop mainly in the western and northern parts.

Table Production of principal pulses (2002-2007 m tons).

Pulses	2002-03	2003-04	2004-05	2005-06	2006-07
Kheshari	157000	134000	136000	107000	83000
Masur	116000	122000	121000	115000	117000
Gram	11000	10000	10000	10000	10000
Mashkalai	16000	18000	17000	17000	18000
Mung	30000	30000	18000	17000	19000
Motor	12000	13000	9000	8000	7000
Arhar	2000	2000	1000	1000	1000
Other pulses	4000	4000	4000	4000	3000
Total	349000	333000	316000	279000	258000

Source Yearbook of Agricultural Statistics, 2005.

Nowadays the land for pulse cultivation has been squeezed considerably competing with rice cultivation. Couple of decades back the land for cultivation of pulses were about 0.3 million hectares. The present production of pulses is less than half the requirement for the country. [Mostafa Kamal Pasha]