Pune: India’s import of pulses in 2024 was double compared with the prior year and an all-time high, as climate changes had hurt local production.
However, analysts said the imports were much more than what were required to bridge the demand-supply gap, as the government wanted to flood the market with yellow peas to control retail inflation. The industry has now requested to impose duties to curtail imports in 2025.
According to trade data, India is estimated to have imported 6.63 million tonnes of pulses in 2024, compared with 3.31 million tonnes in 2023. The previous record of imports, 6.27 million tonnes, was registered in 2017.
Yellow peas, imports of which were made duty free in 2023, had the largest share in the import basket of pulses at 2.9 million tonnes, or 45% of the total. India had not imported yellow peas in the previous year.
India removed the import duty of chana in May 2024. Subsequently, its import jumped by more than four times, to 574,000 tonnes from 131,000 tonnes in 2023.
Imports of urad increased by 28% from the previous year, while those of masur rose by 53%. The import duty on masur was scrapped in a phased manner through 2021 and 2022. Imports of tur rose 28% in 2024.
The volume of imported pulses is equivalent to India’s consumption of four months, said commodity analyst Rahul Chauhan.
The industry has requested the government to control the import of pulses.
"We need to stop cheap dumping of yellow peas in India. Due to excessive imports, for the first time, protein-rich yellow peas have become cheaper than wheat, a cereal," said Bimal Kothari, president of the Indian Pulses and Grains Association.
According to government sources, the import of pulses was necessary to control high prices.
Unlike tur, urad and chana, yellow peas are abundantly available in the international market from countries like Canada, the US, Ukraine and Russia. Although it is more popular in eastern India, Indian industry has been using yellow peas as a substitute for chana in besan (chana flour), while the dal of yellow peas is mixed with tur/arhar, said trade and government sources.
Urad is grown only in Myanmar, while Africa grows tur mainly for India. Australia produces chana for Pakistan, Bangladesh and India as per their demand.
Source Name : Economic Times