As deficit rains affect sowing, Q1 pulses imports more than double

India’s imports of pulses such as tur (pigeon pea) and urad (black matpe) have more than doubled in the April-June quarter exceeding the half-a-billion-dollar mark in value terms over same period last year.

This is even as the seeding of some varieties such as tur and urad is seen trailing last year’s levels in the ongoing kharif cropping season as key producing States such as Karnataka and Maharashtra have witnessed deficit rain, so far, in the early part of monsoon 2023.

• Read: Pulses imports up over 9 per cent at 26.99 lakh tonnes in FY22

As per the latest official data, pulses imports in rupee value terms are up 138 per cent at ₹4,117.63 over same period last year’s ₹1,725.93 crore. In dollar value terms, the imports were up at $500.94 million, registering an increase of 123.64 per cent over corresponding last year’s $233.99 million.

In fact, the imports have tripled during June alone in value terms on the delayed arrival and tardy progress of monsoon in the key producing States and also due to the increase in prices in other producing origins such as Myanmar.

June imports of pulses were up 218 per cent at ₹1,793 crore over same period last year’s ₹564 crore. In dollar value, the imports were up 201 per cent at $218.15 million during June over same period last year’s $72.25 million.

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In volume terms, tur imports during April-June 2023-24 stood at 1.46 lakh tonnes as compared to 76,806 tonnes in the same period last year, as per IGrain India’s estimates. Similarly, the urad imports were up at 1.007 lakh tonnes as compared to same period last year’s 76,355 tonnes.

Myanmar exports

“The exports of urad is increasing from Myanmar as they have good quantity of stocks. The exports of urad, which was at a slower pace from January 2023 is now increasing. Currently, Myanmar is having stocks of about 50,000 tonne of tur and 4-4.5 lakh tonnes of urad. Since the prices of tur and urad were low in the past weeks, we can see increase in exports in July also. Myanmar wants to sell maximum quantity of tur and urad before the new season arrives,” said Rahul Chauhan of IGrain India.

• Read: As Myanmar trade holds back tur, India warns of looking at G2G deal

Myanmar urad prices on C&F basis had moved up from $900 per tonne in early April to a high of $1,030 per tonne in mid-June and have retraced to currently hover around $940. Similarly, Burma lemon tur prices ruling at around $1,010 in early April had moved to a high of $1,365 and are now ruling around $1,250 per tonne.

Kharif sowing of pulses as of July 14 stood at 66.92 lakh hectares over same period last year’s 77.13 lakh hectares. The seeding of tur is down at 17.03 lakh hectares over same period last year’s 27.59 lakh hectares. The acreages under urad bean are marginally lower at 19.36 lakh hectares over same period last year’s 20.43 lakh hectares.

Following the dip in production of pulses due to erratic rains last year, the government extended the free import of tur and urad till March 2024.