Bimal Kothari, Chairman, India Pulses and Grains Association
Prices of pulses are unlikely to see any increase in the year-ahead on ample supplies amidst projection of above normal monsoon raising the prospects of good kharif crop, according to the trade.
“The pulses market is not going to go up. The good news for consumers is that prices will not go up during the whole year in any of the pulses. There are lots of crops are available in other origins and also our crops are so far, so good,” said Bimal Kothari, Chairman, India Pulses and Grains Association (IPGA), the apex trade body.
“Most of the pulses are either ruling at minimum support price (MSP) or below MSP. If you take tur, the government has purchased almost 5.5 lakh to 6 lakh tonnes this year. Despite such procurement, prices are still below the MSP,” Kothari told businessline.
Ruling below MSP
Prices of tur are ruling between ₹Rs 6,000 and ₹7,200 per quintal across various mandis in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka, while the MSP for kharif 2024-25 season was ₹7,550 per quintal.
Following a shortfall in domestic supplies over the past couple of years, prices of pulses shot up, forcing the government to open up imports of key varieties such as tur, urad, masoor and yellow peas among others to rein in the prices. The duty free window for yellow peas will end in May, while for tur and urad it has been extended till March 2026. Imports of pulses during the financial year 2024-25 touched a record 68 lakh tonnes in volume and topped $5.4 billion in value.
“Chana is also selling in Rajasthan below MSP. Then, masoor is also selling below MSP. So most of the pulses are selling below MSP. So, I really don’t foresee any prices to go up during this current year. Availability is not an issue. So this is good news for consumers,” Kothari said.
Yellow peas policy
“And the only thing that we are waiting is the government’s policy on yellow peas what they are going to do beyond May. Whether they are going to extend it? If they extend it, they slap some duty or it will be duty free again. That needs to be seen,” he added.
On the kharif prospects, Kothari said the monsoon has arrived early and looks good. “I think we will see early cropping and then we will see the crops also in time. The only concern is that during the harvest the crop doesn’t get damaged with the excess rain. Otherwise, we are going to see good crops from the kharif season. Farmers are definitely going to grow more pulses,” Kothari added.
The prevailing bearish price trend in pulses is unlikely to have any impact on the kharif sowing. “The government has promised that they will buy all the crops. So at the moment, I think the kharif sowing is definitely not going to get affected. The new MSP will also help. I am sure they are going to make some increase in the MSP,” he said.
No supply dearth
“Also, in all other origins such as Russia, Australia, Africa, Myanmar and Brazil, the pulses production has gone up. So plenty of pulses are available in the world. There is absolutely no dearth of pulses supply,” Kothari said.
At the recently held global pulses event in Singapore, the prediction has been like there’s going to be an increase in pulses in all the origins, Kothari said. For example, the government has imposed a duty of just 10 per cent on desi chickpeas. With this decision, the farmers in Australia have decided to plant more. We are expecting a crop of 2-2.5 million tonnes of desi chickpeas in Australia, he said.
Also the production of yellow peas in Russia has gone up. Last year, it was close to 4 million tonnes, and this time it looks like the crop will be between 4 and 5 million tonnes. Though the quantity has come down in Canada to around 2.7 million tonnes from 3 million tonnes, in other origins, there is significant production. The lentils production looks good in Australia. “Unless they have any weather issue, I think their production will go up by 40 per cent. Last year, they had 1.2 million tonnes, this time they are talking about more than 1.75 million tonnes. So, the crops everywhere look good, there is no issue about the crops,” Kothari said.
African output
Even the production of tur in Africa, which is normally about 7 lakh tonnes, is estimated at about 9-10 lakh tonnes this year. Also, in case of black matpe (urad), production in Myanmar is about close to a million tonnes. Besides, this time Brazil will also produce 2-2.5 lakh tonnes, which is a substantial quantity.
“So all origins, you see the goods are there. Prices have come down and are coming down also. In fact, I see more of the prices to come down once the crops, the origins are harvested. So I don’t see that the price will go up in India,” Kothari said.
Published on May 27, 2025