India’s Pulse Plan Causes Panic Among Canadian Pulse Suppliers

India consumes 30 million tonnes of pulses a year and produces 25 million tonnes. Exporters, including Canada, make up the annual shortfall. But SASKATOON, Canada’s largest supplier of peas and lentils, recently said there may be no need to export to India in the near future. India’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has announced that the country will be self-sufficient in pulses from 2028.

This could cause discontent in the global pulses industry, Deepak Agarwal, managing director of the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED), told the Global Pulse Confederation Pulses 25 conference in Singapore.

Agarwal said he had met delegations from exporting countries such as Canada, Australia and Brazil to tell them they have five years to adjust their supply schedules and adapt to the new looming reality. India aims to become self-sufficient in agriculture.

The government has already taken steps to encourage more pulses to be planted domestically. Last year, it purchased 25% of Indian pulses at a minimum price, which was usually set below the market price. Recently, there has been a radical shift in this policy. The government is purchasing 100% of its peas, lentils and black beans at market prices.

The National Commission on Agriculture has estimated that India’s per capita requirement for pulses is about 70 grams per day. This translates to 37.5 million tonnes of annual demand. So, there is a lot of room for growth in this market.

Such statements by Indian politicians have greatly worried Canadian pulse suppliers, as reported by Canadian agricultural media. Exporters are planning to supply more pulses to China, although the country is not a reliable destination.

China produces about 4.8 million tons of legumes per year and imports another 2.4 million tons. In 2024, 1.39 million tons of peas were imported, down 49% from 2023 (2.66 million tons were imported).

Imports have fallen sharply due to large surpluses since 2023 and an anti-dumping investigation into Chinese pea protein, which has reduced demand from Chinese industry. Experts note that pea imports are highly dependent on trade policy, with prices rising and falling sharply every year.

China has currently imposed a 100 percent import duty on Canadian peas in response to Canada’s tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, steel, and aluminum.

Tags: pea, Canada, India, pulses, lentil