Our Bureau
New Delhi
India’s pulses import value halved in the first half of fiscal year 2026 to $1.03 billion, a steep decline compared to the same period last year. This significant drop follows a trend of decreasing imports after a peak in the previous fiscal year when imports doubled due to domestic output shortfalls caused by erratic weather. The reduction reflects improvements in domestic production, reducing dependency on imports.
In the April-September 2025 period, pulses imports dropped sharply from $2.18 billion in April-September 2024. Major pulses like tur, urad, and desi chickpeas have seen varied import volumes due to changes in domestic supply and demand dynamics. For instance, tur imports increased as domestic production decreased, whereas lentils imports are forecasted to decline significantly due to better domestic output.
The Indian government had earlier removed curbs on pulses imports to boost supplies and contain price rises after erratic weather reduced domestic yields. With this year’s better harvests, the need for higher imports has allowed the import volumes and values to contract.
Overall, while pulses remain a crucial part of domestic food supply, improving agricultural output coupled with strategic policy adjustments has led to a marked decline in import expenditure in early FY26, signaling strengthened self-reliance in the pulses sector in India.
