India’s pulse imports rise 58% in Q1 FY27 as El Niño risks sharpen supply concerns
Pulse imports reached 1.3 million tonnes in Q1 FY27, valued at $720 million. Yellow pea and masur arrivals surged, while urad and tur imports declined; government buffer stocks of 4.24 MT could be released if retail prices rise.
What happened
India pulses market · India’s pulse imports climbed 58% in Q1 FY27 as El Niño concerns raised domestic supply risks. Imports have recently slowed as kharif
Key facts
- Pulses imports rose 58% to 1.3 million tonnes in Q1 FY27
- Import value rose 22% to $0.72 billion
- Yellow peas imports rose 163% to 0.39 MT
- Masur imports rose 164% to 0.43 MT
- Urad imports fell 33% to 0.12 MT
- Tur imports fell 2% to 0.28 MT
- Government buffer stocks: 4.24 MT
- FY26 pulse imports fell 34% to $3.63 billion
- FY25 pulse imports: $5.54 billion
- Kharif pulses area sown: 10.81 million hectares
Why this matters
Prioritize partnerships or acquisitions in diversified pulse sourcing, storage, and processing to reduce exposure to India’s increasingly volatile domestic harvests and import cycles.
What to watch
- India monsoon progress, El Niño intensity and sowing acreage for kharif pulses.
- Retail and wholesale price trends for tur and urad relative to masur and yellow peas.
- Government announcements on buffer-stock releases, import extensions, quotas or duties.
- Monthly import arrivals, port congestion and landed-cost changes.
- Rupee movement against the US dollar and benchmark global pulse prices.
- Domestic crop estimates and procurement data ahead of the next harvest cycle.
- Increase forward procurement coverage for masur, yellow peas, tur and urad before weather uncertainty is resolved.
- Prioritize value-pack, private-label and blended-pulse assortments to preserve affordability if key varieties inflate.
- Review vendor contracts for currency, freight and import-duty pass-through exposure.
- Prepare localized promotions around government stock releases, which could temporarily lower wholesale prices.
- Monitor inventory turns by pulse type rather than treating the category as a single commodity basket.