India big buyer of pulses this year

India’s pulse imports have exploded in 2024-25. Rahul Chauhan, analyst with IGrain India, is forecasting they may reach 6.71 million tonnes this year, a 52 per cent increase over last year. That is nearly triple the average annual volume imported during the five-year stretch between 2018-19 and 2022-23. “The surge in imports is largely attributed to higher domestic demand, inconsistent production levels in key pulse-growing regions and the Indian government’s continued efforts to stabilize prices by increasing the supply through imports,” he said in a recent article he wrote for the Global Pulse Confederation (GPC). Yellow pea imports are forecast at 2.04 million tonnes, chickpeas at 1.31 million tonnes and lentils at 1.29 million tonnes. “Yellow peas, in particular, are expected to dominate due to relaxed import restrictions and competitive pricing in global markets,” Chauhan said in his GPC article. “Lentils and desi (chickpeas) are also witnessing strong demand, partly ...