Monsoon Shortfall Makes India the Market to Watch for Peas and Lentils
For Canadian pea and lentil markets, no single buyer matters more in 2026/27 than India, and developments there keep pointing in a friendly direction. This year’s southwest monsoon ended roughly 15% below normal, with the shortfalls concentrated in the southern half of the country where most of the tur (pigeon pea) crop is grown. The kharif harvest is getting underway this month and poor results are widely expected. For Alberta growers, the question is how that crop damage translates into import demand for peas and lentils, and on what timeline.
Because it’s a kharif crop, the tur harvest is where the damage shows up first. Prices for tur have rallied over US$230 per tonne from the early July low and now sit at their highest point since August 2024. Because green lentils are the main substitute for tur, Indian buyers are already backfilling with imports, and prices for Canadian green lentils in India are at their highest in a year. Even red lentils, stuck in a sideways channel for years, are starting to show signs of strengthening.
The import data for India shows demand has already been strong, even before the monsoon deficit was felt. Indian lentil imports reached 187,100 tonnes in July, the biggest month since February and roughly three times the normal July volume. Four months into India’s 2026/27 marketing year, cumulative lentil imports of 578,000 tonnes are running at a record pace and more than triple last year’s start. That’s especially notable because imports tend to be quiet at that time of year, following the rabi harvest. The Indian government is also signaling it wants more domestic lentil production, raising its lentil support price, but plantings have plateaued in recent years and policy alone is unlikely to close the gap.
The pea story runs on a parallel track. Indian pea imports totalled 525,000 tonnes through the first four months of 2026/27, almost double last year, and that is with a 30% import tariff still in place. Yellow pea prices in India moved higher earlier on concerns about access to Russian supplies, and prices for desi chickpeas, the domestic substitute for yellow peas, are now rising sharply. If pulse prices continue to rise, it’s also possible that India could cut its 30% pea tariff or the 10% lentil tariff, which would raise demand further.
Click here to see more...