Pulses: Overview
Dal, besan, hummus and the new pulse proteins
What this tab covers What the commodity is used for, why, in what volumes and with what alternatives, and its chain from mine or field to end user. Also the latest price moves, top recent news, three things to know, and buttons into each tab.Key uses
| Use | Share | Annual volume | Why this commodity | Alternatives |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole and split pulses cooked as dal, curries, soups and stews | n/a | India alone uses about 32-33 Mt a yearbasis | Pulses are the cheapest source of protein for vegetarian diets, with far more protein than cereals, and they store dry for a year or more. In India tur (pigeon pea), chana (chickpea), moong, urad and masoor are daily staples, so pulse prices weigh heavily in food inflation. Ministry of Agriculture via India Sea Trade News, Sep 2025 | Dairy and eggs Meat and fish Soy products |
| Flours and snacks (besan, papad, namkeen, falafel, hummus) | n/a | n/a basis | Chickpea flour (besan) binds and fries well and is the base of many Indian snacks and sweets. Hummus and falafel have spread chickpea demand in Western markets. India grew 65.4% of the world's chickpeas in 2024. FAOSTAT 2024 | Wheat and rice flour Maize-based snacks |
| Animal feed (feed peas, faba beans) | n/a | n/a basis | In Europe, Canada and Australia lower grades of dry peas and faba beans go into pig and poultry feed as a home-grown protein source that replaces part of the soybean meal. | Soybean meal Rapeseed meal |
| Protein ingredients (pea protein isolate, starch and fibre) | n/a | n/a basis | Yellow peas are fractionated into protein for plant-based meat and dairy alternatives, sports nutrition and bakery, because pea protein is non-GM, low-allergen and cheap compared with dairy proteins. | Soy protein Whey and casein Wheat gluten |
From field to user
- Sowing In India, tur, moong and urad are kharif (monsoon) crops and chana and masoor are rabi (winter) crops; Canada and Australia grow lentils and peas on dryland farms.
- Harvest and drying Crops are threshed and dried to safe moisture; world output was 97.1 Mt in 2024, of which India grew 25.4 Mt (FAOSTAT).
- Aggregation and procurement Traders buy at mandis; NAFED and NCCF buy at minimum support prices when prices fall and hold a buffer, 2.48 Mt in September 2025 against a 3.5 Mt norm.
- Import India imported a record 7.34 Mt in FY2025, mainly yellow peas, lentils, tur and urad from Canada, Russia, Australia, Myanmar and East Africa.
- Milling Dal mills clean, dehusk and split whole pulses; besan mills grind chickpeas into flour.
- Wholesale and retail Packaged brands and loose sales in kirana stores reach households.
Price movement snapshot 2026-10-25
No public daily or monthly benchmark price for this commodity in the datasets used.
World production 7.89 m tonnes, 2024 Largest producer Canada 30.82% of worldThree things to know
- India grew 65.4% of the world's chickpeas in 2024, yet took 34.1% of world import value for all dried pulses (HS 0713).
- World lentil output roughly tripled between 1990 (2.57 million tonnes) and 2024 (7.89 million tonnes).
- Canada, not India, was the largest lentil producer in 2024, with 30.8% of world output (FAOSTAT).
Top recent news snapshot 2026-10-25, last 30 days
- India considers cutting import duties on pulses to cool prices, sources sayReuters · 2026-10-01
- Pulses prices surge: Will cheaper imports bring relief to consumers? Stakeholders dividedThe Economic Times · 2026-10-06
- Modi’s Rs 11,440-crore mission: No research project approved in Year 1The Indian Express · 2026-10-19
- Knowledge Nugget | Pulses Mission faces research delays: What is it all about?The Indian Express · 2026-10-19
- Pulses, potash, visas on the table as India-Canada begin fifth round of CEPA talksBusinessLine · 2026-10-15