Overview
- Reports in early October say the government is exploring cuts to import duties on select pulses, with no formal decision announced yet.
- Sources indicate the easing would likely focus on lentils (masoor) and yellow peas while keeping chickpea duties to encourage farmers to plant in October.
- Imports of tur and urad are already allowed duty-free until March 31, 2027, and current levies place chana and masoor at 10% and yellow peas at 30%.
- A deficient and uneven June–September monsoon left some top producing states with about 30% less rain, which traders and millers say has pushed prices up by roughly 3–10% in recent weeks.
- Because India supplies most of its own pulses but also imports roughly 23% of consumption, targeted duty cuts could raise short-term availability and help slow food inflation while global prices and domestic yields determine the final impact on shoppers.