Production of lentils and peas may decline during the current year
23-Jan-2026 02:58 PM
Yangon. Experts at the South Asia Agri Forum (SAAF) 2026, organized by the Bharat Subcontinental Agri Foundation (BSAF), said that there is currently no change in India’s import policy for peas and lentils. However, China has now agreed to withdraw the steep 100 percent import duty imposed on peas imported from Canada, which could reopen its market for Canadian peas. Even so, the impact on the global market is expected to be limited. The reopening of the Chinese market may lend some support to pea prices in Canada and create a mildly firmer tone in the Indian market, but global as well as domestic supply conditions in Canada remain very comfortable. Pea prices there have fallen to multi-year lows, which could reduce Canadian farmers’ interest in cultivating the crop.
Canada’s agriculture ministry has also estimated that the domestic pea sowing area in 2026 will decline by 15.5 percent to around 1.2 million hectares, which could lead to a drop in production. Similarly, lentil acreage is expected to decline by 9.7 percent. Production in India may also come under pressure.
As far as lentils are concerned, Canada currently holds large stocks, while domestic and export demand remains relatively weak. Producers there are presently focused on holding back red lentil stocks and increasing sales of green lentils, as demand for green lentils is comparatively better. In India, a 10 percent import duty is levied on lentils, and given the normal supply situation in the domestic market along with largely stable prices, the likelihood of any change in the import policy appears low at present.
In Canada, export offer prices for green lentils have fallen sharply from a peak of $1,400 per ton to around $700 per ton. Lentil imports are estimated at about 450,000 tons in Bangladesh and around 250,000 tons in Turkey. A price difference of $30–45 per ton is currently being observed between bulk shipments and container shipments, which is why importers are mainly giving preference to bulk imports.