{"id":2060,"date":"2026-10-03T10:22:33","date_gmt":"2026-10-03T04:52:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/krishiparva.in\/?p=2060"},"modified":"2026-10-03T10:22:33","modified_gmt":"2026-10-03T04:52:33","slug":"centre-weighs-duty-cut-on-lentils-and-yellow-peas-as-trade-sees-tur-crossing-rs-10000","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/krishiparva.in\/index.php\/2026\/10\/03\/centre-weighs-duty-cut-on-lentils-and-yellow-peas-as-trade-sees-tur-crossing-rs-10000\/","title":{"rendered":"Centre weighs duty cut on lentils and yellow peas as trade sees tur crossing Rs 10,000"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Vijay Gaikwad \u00b7 Oct 3, 2026<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Mumbai:<\/strong> The Centre is considering lower import duties on lentils and yellow peas to cool pulse prices after a patchy monsoon, Reuters<\/a> reported on 1 October, citing two government sources and one industry source. Chickpeas may be kept out of any cut, the industry source told the agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report came on the day pulse traders, millers and importers met in Mumbai for the India Pulses Leadership Roundtable 2026, where the mood was plainly bullish. Panellists projected tur above Rs 10,000 a quintal before the new crop arrives in January and urad near Rs 10,500, as Krishi Parva reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One panellist named the very lever now under review. Yellow peas, said Kunal Karan Parakh of Food Circle Commodities, are a protein source the government can bring in or hold back, managing the price through duty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No decision has been announced. Reuters said the government had not commented when its report was published.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is on the table<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Lentils and yellow peas are the likely candidates for a cut; tur and urad already come in duty-free. The current structure, as reported by Reuters:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pulse<\/th>Import duty now<\/th>Position in the reported proposal<\/th><\/tr>
Tur (pigeon pea)<\/td>Nil, until March 2027<\/td>Already duty-free<\/td><\/tr>
Urad (black gram)<\/td>Nil, until March 2027<\/td>Already duty-free<\/td><\/tr>
Masoor (red lentil)<\/td>10%<\/td>Cut under consideration<\/td><\/tr>
Yellow peas<\/td>30%<\/td>Cut under consideration<\/td><\/tr>
Chana (chickpea)<\/td>10%<\/td>May be excluded<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The chana exception matters for the rabi season. Sowing begins this month, and keeping the duty in place would give farmers a reason to plant more, Reuters noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why now: a weak monsoon and a bullish trade<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The monsoon is the trigger. Rainfall in the main pulse-growing states ran as much as 30% below normal between June and September, Reuters reported, and the crop is expected to be much smaller as a result.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The trade is already pricing that in. At the Mumbai roundtable, one panellist put tur above Rs 10,000 a quintal before January and urad near Rs 10,500. The support prices for 2026-27 are Rs 8,450 and Rs 8,200 (DD News<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On chana, Parakh was blunter. “The rocket has not stopped anywhere. It has not even started yet,” he said. Today’s price is realistic, he argued, once the cost of carrying stock since the March-April harvest is counted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Substitution is already under way. Dal millers in Chennai, Madurai and Vinukonda have moved from tur to masoor, another panellist said. A lower lentil duty would make that switch cheaper still.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not everyone on the dais trusted the rally. “Run for cover when everyone talks tezi<\/em>,” one panellist warned, using the trade’s word for a bull run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The supply picture<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

India grows, eats and imports more pulses than any other country, and the gap between what it grows and what it eats is filled from abroad. The latest numbers on output, imports and government support:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Indicator<\/th>Figure<\/th>Source<\/th><\/tr>
Pulses output, 2025-26 (third advance estimate)<\/td>274.09 lakh tonnes<\/td>APEDA<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
Share of consumption met by imports, 2024-25<\/td>About 23%<\/td>Reuters<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
Price-support purchases approved on 1 October for kharif 2026-27<\/td>Rs 5,547.99 crore in Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana<\/td>Global Agriculture<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
Tur cleared for purchase in Uttar Pradesh<\/td>4.66 lakh tonnes, worth Rs 3,937.70 crore<\/td>Global Agriculture<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
Chana MSP for 2027-28, approved on 1 October<\/td>Rs 5,958 a quintal, up Rs 83<\/td>Global Agriculture<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
Masoor MSP for 2027-28, approved on 1 October<\/td>Rs 7,390 a quintal, up Rs 390<\/td>Global Agriculture<\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The 2025-26 output figure predates this year’s rainfall deficit. The price-support purchases, under the Price Support Scheme, also cover moong, soybean and sunflower.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The masoor numbers pull in two directions. The Cabinet raised the lentil support price by Rs 390 on the same day the government was reported to be weighing cheaper lentil imports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What it means for farmers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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A duty cut would work against the rally the trade is forecasting, but it would not touch every crop equally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n