India’s Pulses Imports Dip Marginally in First Half of 2026

August 18, 2026: Tur, masoor and yellow pea imports rise, while chana and urad shipments decline India’s pulses imports declined marginally by 1.46 per cent during the first half of calendar 2026, falling to 31.80 lakh tonnes from 32.27 lakh tonnes recorded during the corresponding period last year. According to a recent market update by the India Pulses and Grains Association (IPGA), which cited Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (DGCIS) data, the overall decline was mainly due to lower imports of chana (chickpea) and urad (black matpe). However, shipments of tur (pigeon pea), masoor (lentils) and yellow peas increased during January-June. Tur imports recorded a significant rise of 43.34 per cent during the period, reaching more than 5.05 lakh tonnes. African countries remained important suppliers, with Mozambique emerging as the largest source at over 1.83 lakh tonnes. Myanmar followed with more than 1.23 lakh tonnes, while Tanzania supplied over 1.01 lakh tonnes and Sudan around 49,049 tonnes. In contrast, urad imports declined by 19 per cent during the first six months of the year. Myanmar continued to dominate India's urad supplies, accounting for around 2.78 lakh tonnes. Brazil was the second-largest supplier with 39,309 tonnes, followed by Thailand with more than 11,448 tonnes. Masoor imports witnessed one of the sharpest increases, rising 51.58 per cent to 9.63 lakh tonnes from 6.35 lakh tonnes a year earlier. Canada was the largest supplier, shipping more than 5.10 lakh tonnes, while Australia supplied over 4.17 lakh tonnes. Russia accounted for around 22,938 tonnes. Meanwhile, chana imports fell by more than 45 per cent during January-June, mainly due to a slowdown in shipments from Australia. Despite the decline, Australia remained India's largest supplier of chana, exporting more than 6.03 lakh tonnes. Tanzania followed with around 28,743 tonnes, while the UK and Myanmar were among the other suppliers. Rahul Chauhan of Igrain India attributed the decline in chana imports to lower domestic prices in India coupled with higher international prices, which reduced the attractiveness of overseas purchases. Yellow pea imports, however, increased by 17 per cent during the first half of 2026. Canada accounted for the bulk of the supplies, with more than 5.7 lakh tonnes, while Russia was another major supplier. The latest import figures indicate a mixed trend in India's pulses market, with rising shipments of tur, masoor and yellow peas partly offsetting the decline in chana and urad imports. Overall, pulses imports remained broadly stable during the first six months of the year despite significant shifts in individual commodities and supplier countries.