India Considers Cutting Lentil and Yellow Pea Import Duties as Food Inflation Stays High

India is considering reducing import duties on lentils and yellow peas as the government looks for ways to increase pulse supplies and limit food-price pressure after a weak monsoon, according to government and industry sources cited by Reuters.

No tariff reduction has been announced. The measures remain under consideration, making the distinction between a possible policy change and an enacted duty cut important for traders.

India currently applies a 10 percent import duty on red lentils and a 30 percent duty on yellow peas, while chickpeas are expected to remain outside the potential reductions.

Duty-free imports of pigeon peas and black gram have already been allowed through March 2027, giving the government another channel for supplementing domestic production.

India imported about 7.3 million tonnes of pulses in 2024 to 2025 alongside domestic production of roughly 25.7 million tonnes, leaving imports equivalent to about 23 percent of consumption.

Major suppliers include Australia, Canada, Russia, Myanmar and several African countries, so even a targeted tariff change could redirect trade flows across multiple origins.

The policy discussion follows rainfall deficits of as much as 30 percent in some important pulse-growing regions during the June-to-September monsoon, while food inflation was running at 5.95 percent in August.

For global pulse markets, the key variable is whether India converts the discussion into a formal tariff order and which products are included. As the world's largest pulse consumer and importer, relatively small policy changes can materially affect international demand.