October 29, 2025

Get ready for a rollercoaster in the pulse market! Indian importers have hit the green light again for importing US green lentils, but guess what? They’re calling on exporters to slash prices because the market has tumbled like never before. Ameer Mehdi Buhari, the big boss at Agcore Trading, says, “Indian green lentil shipments have commenced, but buyers are asking to renegotiate prices due to huge price collapse.” So, what’s shaking the market? This year, giant harvests from Canada and the US have crowded the scene, dragging lentil and pea prices downward. And it's not just them — Australia, Russia, and African countries are also flourishing with big crops, especially pigeon peas in Africa. Earlier, Indian importers paused buying US lentils and beans from July to September, worried about possible Indian government retaliation after the US slapped a 25% tariff on Indian goods in August. The US even added a 25% duty for India’s purchase of Russian crude oil. Talks between India and the US are still on, but India’s Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal says they won’t rush into any trade deals. Buhari shares jaw-dropping figures: “Last year, forward contracts to India were trading at $850 a tonne levels (starting and going all the way to $1,250 at the peak). This year’s market is at $560.” Canada is now offering green lentils at $640 a tonne, down from $765 in August. Russia is even lower at $610, compared to $785. African pigeon peas fell too, from $600 to $550, while Myanmar kept steady at $775, expecting more Indian imports due to heavy rains there. Chickpeas have taken a big hit too, dropping below $500 from $700. Yellow peas, the troublemaker in price crashes, plunged to $300-$320 from $415. The price drop in pigeon peas is squeezing lentils further. Most of India’s large green lentil imports come from Canada, especially via Vancouver. US green lentils mostly reach Tamil Nadu, where they are sold in ration shops as pigeon pea substitutes, with 44,000 tonnes shipped last year. Meanwhile, Australia expects to grow 2.1 million tonnes of chickpeas and 1.7 million tonnes of lentils. The US Department of Agriculture forecasts 800,000 tonnes of dry peas and 425,000 tonnes of lentils this year. Canada plans to produce over 3.5 million tonnes of dry peas, including nearly 3 million yellow peas and 550,000 green peas. Lentil output is rising too, especially green lentils, expected to jump about 60% from last year. Russia and Ukraine are harvesting record pulses — Russia with 6.8 million tonnes mainly in chickpeas and peas, Ukraine sets a record at 610,000 tonnes. This glut points toward a bearish pulse market, even as Indian buyers tried to grab some last week. In short, when the world’s lentil pots overflow, Indian pulse prices dance to a different tune. Stay tuned as the pulse drama unfolds!

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Tags: Green lentils, Pulse prices, India imports, Canada pulses, Usda, Pigeon peas,