Increasing the production of pulses is an urgent need. Introduction of new varieties of traditional pulses from neighbouring countries has brightened the prospects for production of these crops. The prospects for soybean and winged bean use are bleak as long as their acceptability is not increased in the rural areas. The result has been very slow progress in soybean cultivation, despite sizeable investment on research. The seed viability and post-harvest preservation aspects were completely missed in earlier planning.
Conventional pulses have by necessity to be encouraged.
Postharvest preservation must receive utmost attention. The complementary role that pulses play in the cereal-based diet needs recognition and demonstration through feeding experiments. The acute shortage of fats in the diet has been realized. There are bright prospects of increasing the production and productivity of oilseed crops in Bangladesh. Besides brassica, groundnut, sunflower, sesame, and safflower have immediate prospects.