India’s H1 pulses imports edge down 1.46% to 31.80 lakh tonnes

India imported 31.80 lakh tonnes of pulses in H1, marginally below 32.27 lakh tonnes a year earlier. Higher purchases of tur, masoor and yellow peas were partly offset by lower urad and chana imports, signalling shifting sourcing and price dynamics for food retailers and staples suppliers.

— Source published Mon, 17 Aug, 2026, 20:08 IST · First seen Mon, 17 Aug, 2026, 20:15 IST · Source The Hindu BusinessLine

What happened

India Pulses and Grains Association (IPGA) · India’s H1 2026 pulses imports fell 1.46% to 31.80 lakh tonnes. Tur, masoor and yellow pea purchases rose, while

Key facts

  • India's pulses imports: 31.80 lakh tonnes in H1 2026, down 1.46% year-on-year from 32.27 lakh tonnes
  • Tur imports: over 5.05 lakh tonnes, up 43.34%
  • Urad imports: 2.78 lakh tonnes from Myanmar; down 19% overall
  • Masoor imports: 9.63 lakh tonnes, up 51.58% from 6.35 lakh tonnes
  • Chana imports: down over 45%; Australia supplied over 6.03 lakh tonnes
  • Yellow pea imports: up 17%; Canada supplied over 5.7 lakh tonnes

Why this matters

Prioritize supplier partnerships or procurement capabilities in tur, masoor and yellow peas to capitalize on shifting demand and sourcing flows.

What to watch

  • Domestic kharif and rabi crop estimates, especially urad, chana and tur output.
  • Wholesale mandi prices and retail price spreads for chana dal, urad dal, tur dal and masoor.
  • Government decisions on import duties, quantitative restrictions, duty-free windows and buffer-stock releases.
  • Monthly import arrivals by commodity and origin, particularly Canada/Australia-linked yellow peas and masoor flows.
  • Monsoon progress, sowing acreage and weather damage in major pulse-producing states.
  • Rebalance procurement toward tur, masoor and yellow peas where import availability is improving, while locking near-term urad and chana requirements earlier.
  • Review private-label pack architecture: protect entry price points with masoor and yellow-pea SKUs if chana and urad costs rise.
  • Separate pulse-category pricing from aggregate staples pricing; regional exposure matters because urad and chana demand is concentrated in specific consumption baskets.
  • Increase supplier reporting on origin, landed cost, port inventory and delivery lead times to identify shortages before they reach retail shelves.