India big buyer of pulses this year

India’s pulse imports have exploded in 2024-25.

Rahul Chauhan, analyst with IGrain India, is forecasting they may reach 6.71 million tonnes this year, a 52 per cent increase over last year.

That is nearly triple the average annual volume imported during the five-year stretch between 2018-19 and 2022-23.

“The surge in imports is largely attributed to higher domestic demand, inconsistent production levels in key pulse-growing regions and the Indian government’s continued efforts to stabilize prices by increasing the supply through imports,” he said in a recent article he wrote for the Global Pulse Confederation (GPC).

Yellow pea imports are forecast at 2.04 million tonnes, chickpeas at 1.31 million tonnes and lentils at 1.29 million tonnes.

“Yellow peas, in particular, are expected to dominate due to relaxed import restrictions and competitive pricing in global markets,” Chauhan said in his GPC article.

“Lentils and desi (chickpeas) are also witnessing strong demand, partly due to domestic shortfalls.”

India is at the tail end of harvesting its rabi (winter) crop. The government is forecasting 11.54 million tonnes of chickpeas and 1.82 million tonnes of lentils. Both totals would be a slight increase over last year’s production if realized.

That is a good thing because government stocks of pulses are less than half of its target, totaling 1.36 million tonnes as of March 5.

Chauhan said the government would ideally like one million tonnes each of pigeon peas, lentils and chickpeas, as well as 400,000 tonnes of urad and 100,000 tonnes of mung beans.

The current stockpile is primarily comprised of 532,000 tonnes of lentils and 757,000 tonnes of mung beans.

“For the current rabi season (2024-25), the government has sanctioned the procurement of 1.11 million tonnes of chickpeas and 940,000 tonnes of lentils, alongside smaller purchases of urad and mung beans,” Chauhan said in a GPC article.

It has also approved the purchase of 1.32 million tonnes of pigeon peas.

The India Meteorological Department is forecasting above-average southwest monsoon rainfall for the June through September period. It is expected to be 105 per cent of the long period average.

That moisture is critical for the upcoming kharif and rabi crops for 2025-26.

Indian demand is going to be critical in 2025-26 due to China’s imposition of a 100 per cent tariff on Canadian peas.

“Given the likelihood that Canadian output will exceed prospective demand by a wide margin, Canada may find itself setting the base for global pea prices,” Stat Publishing said in a recent newsletter.

India recently implemented an 11 per cent tariff on lentil imports, which would normally be a big issue for the market.

“But it has almost been forgotten,” LeftField Commodity Research analyst Chuck Penner said in a recent podcast hosted by Saskatchewan Pulse Growers.

It pales in comparison to China’s 100 per cent tariff on Canadian peas.

India has had a couple of decent lentil crops and Australia has more product to sell, which has eased supply concerns for the country.

Penner said an 11 per cent tariff is punitive, but it won’t shut down trade of the commodity.

India recently kicked its duty-free period for yellow peas down the road to May 31 from March 31.

“I would guess that there’s pretty good odds those tariffs will get reimposed,” said Penner.

It will depend on how the current rabi (winter) harvest turns out, and as mentioned earlier, the crop looks decent so far.

Tags: kharif, pulse, China, yellow pea, Canada, lentils, Production, pigeon peas, India, mung beans, chickpeas, imports, output, demand, rabi