Indian trade seeks 50% minimum import duty on yellow peas
The Indian pulses trade wants the Union government to levy an import duty of minimum 50 per cent or more on yellow peas to ensure that the landed price is equivalent to the minimum support price (MSP) of chana (gram). Currently, imports of yellow peas are allowed duty-free import. The facility is on till May 31, 2025.
Yellow pea is a cheaper and near substitute to chana and the government allowed duty-free imports in December 2023 to boost the supplies and contain the price rise amidst expectation of a fall in domestic gram output. Subsequently, the government extended the window for duty-free import of yellow peas multiple times, the latest being in early March this year till May 31, 2025.
“This is the seventh extension in last 18 months for yellow pea imports,” said Bimal Kothari, Chairman, India Pulses and Grains Association (IPGA). The government should impose a duty of minimum 50 per cent or more so that the landed price of yellow peas is closer to the MSP of chana, so that the domestic growers are protected, Kothari said.
Higher imports
The opening up of duty-free yellow pea imports had led to massive inflow of the pulses variety over the past two years. The availability of huge quantity of imported yellow peas in the market has kept the chana prices under check, hurting farmers’ realisations. Besides, it has also impacted the demand for other pulses varieties, Kothari said.
Currently, the landed price of yellow pea at the Indian ports is hovering around ₹3,400-3,550 a quintal, Kothari said. The chana MSP for the 2025-26 marketing season is ₹5,650, while the mandi prices are hovering in the range of ₹5,000-5,700 across various mandis.
Per IGrain India’s estimates, India’s total imports of yellow peas from December 2023 till March 2025 stood at over 32.13 lakh tonnes (lt). Yellow peas imports during 2024-25 stood at over 20.44 lt, close to almost double than the previous year’s 11.69 lt.
Canada and Russia are the top two suppliers of yellow peas to the Indian market. Other exporters include Turkey, Ukraine, Latvia, Lithuania and Spain among others. Currently, Canada is offering its yellow peas at $440 a tonne cost and freight to India for May-June, while Russia is selling at $400 a tonne for May.
India’s pulses imports in value terms increased by over 46 per cent to $5.47 billion during 2024-25 from the previous year’s $3.74 billion, per the Commerce Ministry. In volume terms, the pulses imports are estimated at over 67.05 lt — up 52 per cent over the previous year’s 44.03 lt.
Published on April 29, 2025
