Pulses · guide
India grows and consumes more pulses than almost any other country, so its export story is about surplus, seasons and specific varieties rather than steady commodity volumes.
| Market | Imports | Year |
|---|---|---|
| United States | $16.5B | 2024 |
| Germany | $8.8B | 2024 |
| United Kingdom | $5.2B | 2024 |
| India | $5.1B | 2024 |
| France | $4.8B | 2024 |
| Canada | $4.1B | 2024 |
| Market | Exports | Year |
|---|---|---|
| China | $12.3B | 2024 |
| Mexico | $10.7B | 2024 |
| Netherlands | $9.7B | 2024 |
| Spain | $9.4B | 2024 |
| Canada | $6.7B | 2024 |
| United States | $5.9B | 2024 |
Figures are for the whole of HS chapter 07 (edible vegetables and certain roots and tubers). Source: UN Comtrade.
Reporter-declared data for 2024 ranks India 14 of 96 exporters in HS chapter 07, edible vegetables and certain roots and tubers, with chapter exports of $2.1B. The chapter is wider than pulses: it also includes fresh vegetables such as onions and potatoes, so the figure is best read as India’s position in the broader vegetable trade, with dried legumes as one part of it. Pulses themselves are heading 0713.
India also appears as an importer, at $5.1B in the same chapter. That double role is typical of a country with a very large home market: domestic demand for lentils, chickpeas, pigeon peas and beans is high, and trade flows in and out depending on the crop. An Indian exporter should therefore treat pulses as an opportunistic, season-sensitive business and plan around domestic availability.
Heading 0713 covers dried, shelled leguminous vegetables, with subheadings for peas, chickpeas, lentils, broad beans, pigeon peas, kidney beans and the mung and urad group. Indian-grown chickpeas, lentils, pigeon peas, mung, urad and kidney beans are the categories buyers most often source from the subcontinent, and each has its own size, colour and processing conventions. Split and polished forms, such as dals, are packed for retail as well as for wholesale.
Because the tariff puts whole and split forms under the same species subheading in many cases, the distinction matters commercially rather than on the declaration: buyers of split dal want a different specification than buyers of whole grain, so state the form clearly in every offer.
The 2024 importer list for the chapter starts with the United States at $16.5B, Germany at $8.8B, the United Kingdom at $5.2B, India at $5.1B, France at $4.8B and Canada at $4.1B. Since India is itself on the list, the outward-facing shortlist is the other five, but those are broad vegetable importers. The next step is to check customs shipment records under heading 0713 to see which of them buy Indian-origin pulses.
Different buyers reward different things. Large processors and canners in Europe and North America look for consistent grade, traceability and residue compliance. Retail packers serving communities with a tradition of pulse cooking care about variety, appearance and cooking quality. Smaller importers in the lower ranks may accept smaller lots that a big buyer would not. Rankings are reporter-declared, and re-exports, especially through European hubs, can inflate a country’s figures.
The usual path for an Indian exporter is to obtain the business and exporter registrations that the authorities require, open a foreign-currency capable bank account, and register with the export promotion council or agricultural export body that covers pulses, where one applies. Such bodies commonly provide buyer directories, trade fair participation and guidance on standards. Check the official portals for current registration steps and any schemes, because both change.
If you clean, split or pack pulses yourself, your processing unit may need food-business and plant-health registrations, which also support the certificates that importers ask for. If you only trade, ask each supplier for their documents and keep them on file.
Pulses follow a crop calendar, and prices and availability move with the size of each harvest and with domestic conditions. As general knowledge, offers are built around a crop year, and buyers will ask which crop your lot belongs to. Contract only quantities you can actually source, and secure supply before you commit to a shipment window.
Quality control begins at the farm gate or mandi and continues through cleaning and grading. Moisture, foreign matter, broken and damaged grains, and insect presence are the parameters buyers check. Test each lot, keep sealed samples, and record the supplier and the date of purchase for traceability.
Price from the cost of the graded product, adding bagging, inland transport to the port, handling, certificates, fumigation, insurance and margin, then convert to the buyer’s currency. FOB is the most common starting point, and CIF lets you show a landed figure. Confirm the current export conditions for pulses with the foreign trade authority, since export rules on some pulses have changed in the past, and confirm them again before each contract.
Cargo is normally packed in new woven or jute bags stacked in containers, with liners against condensation, or shipped in bulk for large lots. Fumigation and a phytosanitary certificate are commonly requested. Sea voyages cross humid tropical zones, so dry, well-ventilated stowage and moisture control at loading are what protect the cargo.
Search shipment records under the relevant 0713 subheading and note which importers bring in Indian pulses repeatedly, in what quantities and through which ports. Those repeat consignees are your warmest leads. Then publish an offer on the free marketplace, and answer enquiries with a specification, a lab report and a sample drawn from the actual lot.
Start with a modest first shipment, learn from the buyer’s feedback on grade and packing, and use the results to approach the next importer on your list.
The available data is at chapter level: India ranks 14 of 96 exporters of HS chapter 07 with $2.1B. That chapter covers all edible vegetables, so the figure is not pulses alone. Use shipment records under heading 0713 to see the pulse trade itself.
Chickpeas, lentils, pigeon peas, mung, urad and kidney beans are the varieties commonly sourced from India, in whole and split forms. The species decides the tariff subheading, while form and grade decide the buyer and the specification.
Export conditions for pulses can change, including limits on specific types at certain times. Confirm the current position with the foreign trade authority and your customs broker before you sign a contract, and again before each shipment.
It is usually required by importing countries for plant products such as pulses, along with fumigation evidence in many cases. Confirm the current requirement with the importer and the plant-protection authority, and apply early.
Use the importer ranking to shortlist countries, then search customs shipment records under heading 0713 for named consignees, origins and volumes. Publish your offer on the free marketplace and follow up with a specification and sample.
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