Pulses: Extraction
The crops that make their own fertiliser from air
What this tab covers How it is mined, drilled or grown, and processed into a tradeable form: the main methods compared, their unit economics, by-products, and the companies that do this work globally and in India.Lentils and chickpeas are cool-season legumes. Bacteria in their root nodules fix atmospheric nitrogen, so they need little fertiliser and enrich the soil for the next cereal crop. Canada's prairies and Australia grow them in rotation with wheat and canola, harvested by combine. In India, chickpeas are a winter rabi crop grown on stored soil moisture, and lentils are grown across the north. After harvest, seed is cleaned and graded. Indian mills split and dehull much of the crop into dal, which cooks faster.
Pulses are legumes grown for dry seed. They fix their own nitrogen, so they need little fertiliser and fit into cereal rotations. India grows most of its pulses on rainfed smallholdings, with yields of about 0.8-1.2 t/ha, and the monsoon decides the crop. Canada, Australia and Russia grow peas, lentils and chickpeas on large mechanised dryland farms, mainly for export to India, China, Turkey and South Asia. After harvest, pulses are cleaned, graded and either exported whole or milled into split dal or flour. Government procurement and import policy in India shape the whole market.
Methods compared
| Method | Share of supply | Typical scale | Recovery / efficiency | By-products | Unit cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfed smallholder production (India, Myanmar, East Africa) | India 26.2% of world pulse output in 2024 (25.4 of 97.1 Mt, FAOSTAT) | India harvested 9.6 Mha of chickpeas and 4.2 Mha of pigeon peas in 2024 (FAOSTAT) | India yields 2024: chickpea 1.15 t/ha, lentil 1.03 t/ha, pigeon pea 0.84 t/ha, dry beans 0.68 t/ha (FAOSTAT) | straw and husk for fodder; nitrogen left in the soil | No cost series found; price reference only: MSP of Rs 8,682/quintal for moong and Rs 7,400 for urad as cited in Oct 2025, with mandi prices below MSP in 2025 (India Sea Trade News, Oct 2025) |
| Mechanised dryland production for export (Canada, Australia, Russia) | Canada 30.8% and Australia 16.0% of world lentil output; Australia 13.4% of chickpeas (FAOSTAT 2024) | Australia harvested 1.04 Mha of chickpeas and 1.04 Mha of lentils in 2024 (FAOSTAT) | Australia yields 2024: chickpea 2.18 t/ha, lentil 1.22 t/ha (FAOSTAT) | stubble; nitrogen for following wheat crop | n/a |
| Dal milling and flour milling | most pulses eaten in South Asia pass through dal mills | n/a | n/a | husk and brokens (chuni) for cattle feed | n/a |
How each method works
Rainfed smallholder production (India, Myanmar, East Africa)Farmers sow tur, moong and urad with the monsoon, and chana and masoor in winter on residual moisture or with limited irrigation. Most sell at local mandis or to traders.
Low input cost and soil benefits, but yields swing with rainfall and prices often fall below MSP at harvest.
FAOSTAT 2024; India Sea Trade News, Oct 2025 Mechanised dryland production for export (Canada, Australia, Russia)Large farms grow lentils, peas and chickpeas in rotation with wheat and canola, harvest by combine and ship in containers or bulk to India, China, Turkey and Bangladesh.
Efficient and export-oriented, but exposed to Indian and Chinese import duties.
FAOSTAT 2024 Dal milling and flour millingMills soak or oil-treat whole pulses, dehusk them in roller or abrasive machines, split them into dal and polish and grade them; chickpeas are also ground into besan.
Adds value and storability, but milling yields and margins are thin and depend on grain quality.
Unit economics are indicative ranges from the sources named; costs vary widely by deposit, region and year.Who does it: global
| Company | Country | Activity | Volume | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AGT Food and Ingredients private; volumes not published | Canada | pulse processing and export | not published | n/a | |
| ETG (Export Trading Group) volume not published in a source found | Mauritius/East Africa | pulse sourcing in Africa and trade to India | not published | n/a | |
| ofi (Olam Food Ingredients) volume not published in a source found | Singapore | pulse sourcing and trading | not published | n/a | |
| Viterra (Bunge) volume not published in a source found | Canada/Netherlands | grain and pulse handling and export from Canada and Australia | not published | n/a | |
| Roquette volume not published in a source found | France | pea protein processing | not published | n/a |
Who does it: India
| Company | Country | Activity | Volume | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAFED and NCCF (central procurement agencies) | India | MSP procurement and buffer stock of pulses | 2.48 Mt pulses buffer held (moong 0.90, masoor 0.64, tur 0.60 Mt) against a 3.5 Mt norm | Sep 2025 | India Sea Trade News, 22 Sep 2025 |
| AWL Agri Business (formerly Adani Wilmar) pulse volumes not published | India | branded besan and pulses | not published | n/a | |
| Tata Consumer Products (Tata Sampann) pulse volumes not published | India | branded pulses | not published | n/a |
India is the largest producer, consumer and importer of pulses: 25.4 Mt grown in 2024 (26.2% of world output, FAOSTAT), a record 7.34 Mt imported in FY2025, and 34.1% of world pulse import value in 2024 (UN Comtrade). Government policy (MSP procurement, buffer stocks, import duties and stock limits) is the main market force.