Lentil sales outlook from Canada to India considered lacklustre

India’s pigeon pea crop has considerable quality damage but don’t expect increased demand for Canada’s limited supply of green lentils, say analysts. IGrain India Pvt is forecasting 3.1 million tonnes of Indian pigeon pea production, down slightly from last year. Crop damage was caused by harvest winds, rain and serious pest infestations. IGrain estimates 20 percent of the pigeon pea crop in the states of Maharashtra and Karnataka is affected. Those two states account for 80 to 90 percent of India’s pigeon pea production. Domestic supplies are starting to arrive in the markets of Maharashtra and Karnataka where there are mounting concerns about a shortage of good quality seeds. An estimated one-third of the crop has been damaged in Deglur, an important growing region of Maharashtra. “In Karnataka, heavy damage to crops was reported due to winds, rain, flooding in the fields and an outbreak of insects and diseases,” IGrain director Rahul Chauhan said in a recent article he wrote ...