After setting a record in FY25, India’s pulse imports dropped sharply last fiscal, trade sources said, citing adequate carry-forward stocks and robust domestic crop production.
According to provisional data, the country imported pulses valued at $3.28 billion during the first eleven months of FY26, a 35% drop compared to the $5.1 billion imported in April-February FY25.
The imports declined by over 18% in volume during April-February 2025–26, reaching 5.4 million tonne (MT) compared to 6.7 MT during the same period last fiscal year. India imports around 18%-20% of its annual pulses consumption.
“Overall imports of pulses in FY26 are likely to be just above 5.6 MT,” Satish Upadhyay, secretary, India Pulses and Grains Association, told FE. In FY25, the value of India’s pulse imports rose by 46% to $ 5.48 billion compared to 2023-24.
Global Price Correction
Official sources said the cost of imports have declined by around 30% to 40% last fiscal because of higher global output and low imports thus pulling down prices. Global prices of yellow peas, mostly sourced from Canada and Australia, have been ruling around $300/tonne against $400/tonne a year ago. Similarly, Bengal gram prices have declined to $520/tonne from $700/tonne last year.
In terms of varieties, yellow peas and masur (lentil) imports during April-February FY26 declined by 49% and 7% to one MT and 0.97 MT, respectively, compared to the same period in FY25. However there has been a 30% and 17% rise in imports of urad and arhar (pigeon pea) to 0.9 MT and 1.4 MT, respectively, in the first eleven months of the current fiscal year-on-year.
With a share of 29.5% , yellow peas have the largest share in total pulse imports in 2024-25, followed by gram (22%), tur (16.7%), lentil (16.6%) and urad (11.2%).
India imports about 18%-20% of its annual consumption of pulses – tur, urad, masoor (lentils), yellow peas and Bengal gram – from Canada, Russia, Brazil, Myanmar and Africa. India has a memorandum of understanding to import tur and urad from Myanmar, Malawi and Mozambique.
Policy Buffers
Earlier this month, to boost domestic supplies, the government had extended the duty-free import policy for key pulses — pigeon pea (tur) and black matpe (urad)—until March 31, 2027. The 30% import duty on yellow peas would continue until end of FY27, while lentils has a 10% duty.
Pulse production in the 2024-25 crop year was estimated at 25.68 MT. In terms of share in total production, chana (45%), moong (15%), tur (14%) and urad (8%) have major share.