India’s pulses import bill during financial year 2025-26 declined around 35 per cent to $3.57 billion from the previous year’s record $5.44 billion on reduced volumes and value of the legumes.
In value terms, the pulses imports were down 31.52 per cent at ₹31,793 crore during 2025-26, against ₹46,427 crore in the year-ago period, per the government data.
Total volumes of the pulses are expected to be around 5.6-5.7 million tonnes (mt) during 2025-26, down from previous year’s record purchases of 7.3 mt, according to the trade.
“Drop in volumes and lower value of the pulses contributed to the decline in the value of pulses imports during FY26,” said Satish Upadhyay, Secretary, India Pulses and Grains Association (IPGA), the apex trade body.
Prices decline
Prices of all major varieties of pulses such as gram (chana), yellow peas, lentils and pigeon pea among others trended lower by an average of 10 per cent during FY26 compared to the previous year, Upadhyay said.
Prices of yellow peas, which hovered around $380-400 per tonne during 2024-25 were down to around $320-330 levels during 2025-26. This is despite the government imposing 30 per cent duty on yellow pea imports during the year.
Similarly, the pigeon pea prices that hovered around $1,000-1,100 levels during 2024-25 were down to $700-850 levels. The same was the case with gram whose prices ruled at an average of $650 per tonne during 2024-25 were down to $470-480 levels and then increased to $510-520 during 2025-26.
Lower imports
“We also imported lower quantities during 2025-26. Volumes of chana were down by about 50 per cent during 2025-26 of 1.4-1.5 mt of what we imported during the previous year. Similarly, the yellow pea volumes were half of what we imported during 2024-25 and the imports of lentils are also down,” Upadhyay said.
Rahul Chauhan of IGrain India said except for pigeon peas and black matpe (urad), import volumes of almost all other pulses declined during the year as there were higher stocks brought forward from the previous year.
Australia, which shipped record chana to India last year, has seen its production rise, but the growers there are not willing to sell below $575/tonne. As a result, imports have slowed down, Chauhan said.
India’s pulses import as per the second advance estimates stood at 238.69 lakh tonnes during 2025-26, over previous year’s 256.83 lakh tonnes includes summer crop estimates.
The Government recently extended the import policy for key pulses such as tur, urad, and yellow peas by another year till March 31, 2027 to ensure adequate supplies. Black matpe (urad) and pigeon pea (tur) imports will continue to remain duty-free, while yellow peas will continue to attract an import duty of 30 per cent.
Published on April 16, 2026