Lucknow, Feb. 9 -- Uttar Pradesh has intensified efforts to enhance pulse production, strengthening its position among the country's leading pulse-producing states, agriculture minister Surya Pratap Shahi has said. Welcoming the Union agriculture ministry's decision to extend Rs 125 crore in central assistance for promoting pulses in the state, he said the assistance would play a crucial role in increasing farmers' income, ensuring nutritional security and achieving self-reliance in pulses. He noted that Uttar Pradesh ranked fourth nationally in 2024-25 with a production of 30.82 lakh metric tonnes, contributing 12% to India's total pulse output. The state's average productivity of 12.01 quintals per hectare is significantly higher than the national average....