Improved production and high stocks led to a sharp decline in pulse imports

12-Feb-2026 03:33 PM

Mumbai. While India's pulse imports surged to new record levels during the 2024-25 fiscal year, improved domestic production and high stocks indicate a sharp decline in imports in the 2025-26 fiscal year.

During the first eight months of the current fiscal year, April-November 2025, India's total pulse imports stood at 3.26 million tons, a decrease of approximately 23 percent from the 4.22 million tons imported in the same months of 2024. It is noteworthy that during the entire period (April-March) of the 2024-25 fiscal year, India's total pulse imports reached an all-time high of 7.3 million tons.

According to industry and trade analysts, the record imports during the previous fiscal year were not fully utilized, leading to high outstanding pulse stocks in the current fiscal year. Additionally, the domestic production outlook is improving.

Consequently, total pulse imports are expected to be limited to around 4.5 million tonnes during the current fiscal year, from April 2025 to March 2026. According to rough estimates, approximately 700,000 tonnes of pulses were imported between December 2025 and January 2026.

Due to India's low procurement, pulse prices in the international market have softened. The global market price of yellow peas has declined from $400 per tonne last year to around $300 per tonne currently. Similarly, the price of Desi gram has declined from $700 per tonne to $520 per tonne.

In comparison to 2024-25, in the first eight months of the financial year 2025-26, the import of tur fell by 5 percent to 9.40 lakh tonnes, import of lentils fell by 24 percent to 4 lakh tonnes, import of yellow peas fell by 52 percent to 7.50 lakh tonnes and import of urad fell by 43 percent to 7.50 lakh tonnes. Pulses are mainly imported in India from Canada, Australia, Myanmar, African countries, Brazil and Russia etc.