India extends duty-free import of yellow peas till December 2024

NEW DELHI: India has extended the timeline for duty-free imports of yellow peas by two more months until December 2024, according to an official notification from DGFT.

In early December 2023, the central government allowed duty-free imports of yellow peas until March 2024, later to be extended till April, then June, and later till October.

It was part of New Delhi's intervention to cool the prices of the overall pulse basket. Reportedly, the duty on yellow peas was first implemented in November 2017 at 50 per cent.

India largely imports yellow peas from Canada and Russia. India is a large consumer and grower of pulses and it meets a portion of its consumption needs through imports.

India primarily consumes chana, Masur, urad, Kabuli chana, and tur pulses. Despite several measures, including various incentives to farmers, India is still dependent on imports of pulses for its domestic requirements.

Pulses imports have almost doubled in 2023-24 to USD 3.74 billion. India's growing demand for protein-rich diets has led to an increase in pulse consumption, but the country still relies heavily on imports to meet its domestic requirements.

Despite being a significant producer of pulses, India's production has not kept pace with demand, leading to a rise in imports. The imports are done from Myanmar, Australia, Russia, Canada, and besides from some African countries.

Pulses production in India has increased from 16.3 million tonnes during 2015-16 to 24.5 million tonnes during 2023-24, but the demand also went up to the tune of 27 million tonnes now.

But, despite various measures by the government to attain Atmanirbharta or self-sufficiency in pulses, imports are rising. In quantity terms, the imports were to the tune of 47 lakh tonne in 2023-24, as per industry estimates, with shipments of masur and yellow peas rising more than normal.