Pulse Imports Reach 3.61 Million Tonnes in First 7 Months

Mumbai: Data from the Union Ministry of Commerce, compiled by the India Pulses and Grains Association (IPGA), reveals that pulse imports into the country rose to 3.61 million tonnes during the first seven months of the current calendar year (January–July 2026). This marks an increase of approximately 4 percent (or 0.14 million tonnes) compared to the 3.47 million tonnes imported during the same period in 2025.

According to the association's report, imports of masoor (red lentils), tur (pigeon pea), and yellow peas increased during the period under review, while imports of chana (gram) and urad (black gram) declined. During the four-month period of April–July 2026, pulse imports surged by 62 percent to reach 1.73 million tonnes.

The report indicates that compared to 2025, imports of masoor surged by 73 percent (from 663,583 tonnes to 1.15 million tonnes), tur imports rose by 44 percent (from 400,892 tonnes to 579,147 tonnes), and yellow pea imports increased by 4 percent (from 657,110 tonnes to 729,456 tonnes) during the first seven months of 2026.

Conversely, during the same period, imports of chana fell by 45 percent (from 1.17 million tonnes to 641,564 tonnes), and urad imports dropped by 14 percent (from 458,860 tonnes to 394,535 tonnes). Imports of other pulses also slipped slightly, moving from 116,266 tonnes to 115,335 tonnes. As for the first four months of the current fiscal year (April–July 2026), imports of masoor (red lentils) surged more than threefold to 5,77,939 tonnes, yellow pea imports rose by 92 percent to 5,24,565 tonnes (up from 2,73,817 tonnes), and arhar (tur/pigeon pea) imports increased by 7 percent to reach 3,11,942 tonnes. Similarly, imports of chana (gram) jumped 155 percent from 27,802 tonnes to 71,079 tonnes; however, imports of urad (black gram) declined by 20 percent, and imports of other pulses fell by 5 percent.