Import of yellow peas in India is estimated to reach 33-35 lakh tonnes by the end of the current year
01-Oct-2024 06:00 PM
Mumbai. The chairman of the apex trade body - India Pulses and Grains Association (IPGA) has estimated that the total import of yellow peas in the country will increase to between 33 and 35 lakh tonnes by the end of the year 2024.
According to him, till August 2024, about 3 lakh tonnes of yellow peas were imported in the country, while about 7 lakh tonnes have been contracted for September-October shipment and thus the total import will reach around 30 lakh tonnes by the end of October.
Since the deadline for duty-free import of yellow peas has been extended to 31 December 2024, an additional import of 4-5 lakh tonnes may take place in November-December.
India imports the most yellow peas from Russia and Canada. This time the production of peas in Russia has decreased somewhat, due to which its export may decline.
According to industry analysts, 31 lakh tonnes of peas were exported from Russia in the 2023-24 season, which may decrease to 25 lakh tonnes in the 2024-25 season. The previous outstanding stock of peas there was also very low.
On the other hand, the government in Canada has estimated the production of 33 lakh tonnes of peas this time and has expressed the possibility of its total availability reaching 36 lakh tonnes.
Out of this, 25 lakh tonnes of peas can be exported abroad. In this way, 25-25 lakh tonnes of peas are expected to be exported from Russia and Canada in the marketing season of 2024-25.
I Grain India director Rahul Chauhan says that China did not import peas from Russia earlier, so Canadian peas dominated there.
But now the situation has changed, China has started importing half of its requirement of peas from Russia and there is a possibility of further increase in it, so its dependence on pea imports is decreasing rapidly.
Preparations are also being made to import peas from Ukraine in China. During the last two-three years, pea production in Russia has increased rapidly and it has even surpassed Canada.
The chairman of IPGA says that India will continue to import peas in large quantities from Russia as well as Canada because the transportation cost is not much.
Peas are imported from Russia in small ships, the cost of which is a bit high. On the other hand, large ships come from Canada loading 60-70 thousand tons of peas, the cost of which is a bit less.