The period of duty-free import of yellow peas will not be extended

13-Feb-2025 08:21 PM

The Indian government has decided not to extend the duty-free import period for yellow peas beyond February 28, 2025. This decision follows approval of duty-free imports in December 2023, which had been extended multiple times.

The Ministry of Food, Consumer Affairs, and Public Distribution has confirmed that a final decision regarding the extension will be made during a high-level cabinet meeting chaired by the Union Home Minister.

The food minister announced at the "Pulses Conclave 2025" that the duty-free import of yellow peas would come to an end. However, the Chairman of the India Pulses and Grains Association (IPGA) has suggested that the government might consider controlling yellow pea imports to protect the interests of farmers. He proposed either a complete ban on duty-free imports or partial restrictions.

In 2024, India saw a record import of 67 lakh tonnes of pulses, with yellow peas accounting for almost 30 lakh tonnes of this total.

Adverse weather conditions and other factors had severely impacted domestic pulse production, which led to a surge in imports.

However, the situation is expected to improve in 2025 with better domestic production, reducing the need for large imports.

The estimated pulse imports for 2024-25 are expected to be around 55 lakh tonnes. If the duty-free import of yellow peas is stopped, total pulse imports in 2025-26 could decline. There are also discussions about imposing a 15-20% import duty on yellow peas in the future.

It will be interesting to see what final decision is made after the cabinet meeting.