Pulse Imports Seen Falling 40% to 4.5 Million Tons

07-Oct-2025 04:08 PM

Mumbai. India's total pulse imports jumped sharply to an all-time high of 7.34 million tons during the entire fiscal year 2024-25 (April-March).

However, they are expected to decline by approximately 39.40 percent to around 4.5 million tons in the current fiscal year 2025-26.

The country has ample backlog of pulses, and production is expected to be satisfactory in the Kharif and Rabi seasons. The arrival of Kharif pulses has begun.

According to available data, pulse imports in the country declined to 1.21 million tons in the first five months of the current financial year, April-August 2025, a 47 percent decrease from the 2.27 million tons imported in the same months of 2024.

According to the Secretary of the India Pulses and Grains Association (IPGA), a leading trade organization, India is projected to import less than 5 million tons of pulses during the entire 2025-26 fiscal year.

Last year, approximately 2.5 million tons of yellow peas and approximately 1.5 million tons of desi chickpeas were imported, but a sharp decline in these imports is expected during the current fiscal year.

Currently, approximately 900,000 tons of pulses are stocked at various ports and approximately 2 million tons in government warehouses, which is considered sufficient for domestic supply in the coming months, with the pigeon pea crop also expected to arrive in December-January.

This Rabi season, good sowing and better yields are expected for pulses, including chickpea, lentils, and peas. The soil in the fields is sufficiently moist. The Minimum Support Price (MSP) for chickpea and lentils has also been significantly increased.

If efforts are made to curb the import of yellow peas after Diwali, total pulse imports could decline further. The Ministry of Agriculture, NITI Aayog, and CACP are in favor of restricting pea imports.

It is understood that approximately 2 million tons of pulses are available in the industry and trade sector, as well as with producers.

While production is expected to decline slightly in the Kharif season, this could easily be offset by better potential production in the Rabi season.