Govt not yet planning to reduce import duties on pulses: Consumer Affairs Minister Nidhi Khare

New Delhi: The government has no plans to cut import duties on pulses yet, Nidhi Khare, secretary, ministry of consumer affairs, said on Wednesday as it is banking on domestic crop prospects and adequate global supplies to sustain prices despite rising retail costs.

The decision comes at a time when prices of major pulses are rising and patchy monsoon rainfall is raising concerns about domestic production. Rather than cutting tariffs to encourage cheaper imports, the government is relying on the kharif crop and existing buffer stocks to manage price pressures.

“We have a very clear and robust import strategy and we are following it. Exporting countries are also aware of the policy framework of the Indian government. So there is no fear of price rise,” Khare told Mint on the sidelines of an event organized by the Bureau of Indian Standards on the occasion of World Standards Day.

India imposes a 10% import duty on lentils and chickpeas (chana), while yellow peas are subject to a 30% duty. Imports of pigeon pea (tur) and black gram (urad) are allowed under the free category till March 31, 2027. The country imported 5.96 million tonnes of pulses in fiscal year 2026 (FY26), down nearly 18% from a year earlier. Imports subsequently rose 62% y-o-y to 1.71 million tonnes in April-July FY27.

Rising inflation

Retail inflation in India accelerated to 5.54% in September from 4.83% in August, while food inflation rose to 7.74% from 5.97%, according to data released on Monday by the Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation.

Pulses increase household food costs. The Economic Survey 2024-25 said vegetables and pulses together accounted for 32.3% of overall retail inflation during April-December FY25. The figure covers both categories and does not isolate the contribution of pulses.

Meanwhile, retail prices of major pulses have risen by as much as 12.7% over the past year, according to government data. Since October 14, there is a chana dal ₹91.64 and kg, an increase of 5%. ₹87.24 a year earlier. The Tur price was set at ₹129.96 and kg, which is 12.7% more ₹115.31, while the office rose 9.3% to ₹124.54 from ₹113.99.

Moon prices rose 2.8%. ₹113.66 kg from ₹110.61 a year earlier, while masoor rose 1.6% to ₹90.93 from ₹89.50.

Seeding and buffer

The government is counting on higher seeding and buffer stocks to ease supply pressures. Area under kharif pulses reached 12.24 million hectares as of October 2, up from 11.98 million hectares a year earlier, according to agriculture ministry data.

The increase was led by the office, whose acreage expanded by 296,000 hectares to 2.66 million hectares. Arhar (tur) sowing increased by 149,000 hectares to 4.79 million hectares, while moong acreage declined by 117,000 hectares to 3.37 million hectares. Total area under pulses was close to normal at 12.36 million hectares, although the final harvest will depend on yields and weather conditions.