In this exclusive interview, Bimal Kothari, Chairman of the India Pulses and Grains Association (IPGA), discusses India’s growing influence in the global pulse market, the nation’s efforts to achieve self-reliance in pulse production, and the challenges posed by fluctuating climatic conditions. His analysis sheds light on India’s expanding pulse trade, the challenges in production, and the potential for pulses to reshape global food systems.
Bimal Kothari
Chairman of the India Pulses and
Grains Association (IPGA)
As the global demand for sustainable food solutions grows, pulses are emerging as a cornerstone of food security and nutritional balance. Bimal Kothari, Chairman of the India Pulses and Grains Association (IPGA), emphasizes that pulses are more than just a dietary staple—they are vital in combating malnutrition, supporting resilient agricultural systems, and addressing climate change.
He highlights the resilience of pulses as a powerful ally in building a stable, secure, and sustainable food system.
He also explores India’s expanding footprint in the global pulse trade, the nation’s ambitious drive toward self-sufficiency, and the persistent challenges posed by unpredictable climatic conditions. To secure the future of pulse farming, Kothari calls for greater investment in infrastructure, stronger farmer incentives, and a renewed focus on agricultural research and innovation.
We celebrated World Pulses Day on February 10. This day highlights the crucial role of pulses in global food security, sustainability, and nutrition. What message would you like to share on this occasion regarding the importance of pulses in India and globally? How can we further promote their production and consumption?
We all cherish fond memories of the International Year of Pulses celebrated in 2016. World Pulses Day celebrated on February 10 every year is indeed observed to raise awareness about the nutritional benefits, environmental sustainability, and economic significance of pulses, particularly in combating food insecurity and malnutrition globally. I am proud that IPGA has played an instrumental role in promoting the World Pulses Day celebration by spreading awareness about the health quotient of pulses and the important role that pulses play in building resilient agricultural systems.
India which is the most populous country in the world has a predominantly vegetarian population. The vegetarian and non-vegetarian segments of the Indian population consume pulses in their daily diets. Being the largest producer and consumer of pulses, India relies on pulses as a staple food for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians. Pulses serve as a primary protein source, playing a crucial role in meeting the country’s protein requirements. India has significant potential to emerge as a global protein hub, given its pulses production and high consumption levels.
I believe that the governments of pulse-producing origins as well as the emerging pulse origins and agricultural organizations and research institutes should support pulse farmers with better infrastructure, incentives, and research. Countries should work collectively to improve trade policies, reduce post-harvest losses, and ensure remunerative prices for pulse farmers. Pulses should be integrated in various welfare schemes and food assistance programs to ensure availability to the economically backward segments of the population for combating malnutrition and undernutrition. Promoting the health benefits of pulses through educational programs, and public campaigns can go a long way in increasing their consumption.
Pulses and their contribution to ensuring global food and nutrition security should just not be celebrated just on February 10 but they should be made an integral part of our daily diets.
With global food systems under pressure from climate change, conflicts, and economic instability, pulses are being recognized for their resilience. What role can they play in ensuring a stable food supply amid these challenges?
Pulses are rich in protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals, making them a vital source of nutrition, especially in areas where meat and dairy are expensive or inaccessible. The high nutrient content offered by pulses coupled with their storability make pulses a key part of food aid programs to ensure food security. As the global population rises and climate change accelerates, sustainable food solutions become imperative. Pulses play a crucial role in regenerative agriculture—they enrich the soil with nitrogen, require significantly less water than animal-based protein sources, and emit lower levels of greenhouse gases.
There is increasing awareness of the environmental as well as health benefits of consuming plant protein compared to animal protein. Studies have indicated that the production of 1 kilogram of animal meat produces on average 10 kilograms of carbon emission whereas the production of 1 kilogram of pulses merely has a carbon emission of only 0.5 kilograms.
Pulses require less water compared to other crops and are primarily grown in rainfed areas which can help in contributing to farmers’ livelihoods even in arid regions.
Considering the current state of global warming, we should adopt a dual approach by encouraging both the production and consumption of pulses as pulses will play a very important role in reducing the carbon footprint thereby promoting sustainable environmental conditions and agri-systems for future generations. By actively supporting pulse cultivation and consumption, we can build a healthier, more sustainable, and food-secure world while reaping the numerous benefits they offer.
THE PROMISE OF PULSE-BASED FOODS IN INDIA
There is a growing global demand for plant-based protein, leading to an increased interest in pulses. How is India positioning itself to benefit from this trend, both in domestic consumption and exports? How is this trend shaping India’s pulse trade and processing sector?
India, as the world’s largest producer and consumer of pulses, is uniquely positioned to become a global leader in plant-based food production. India’s extensive experience in pulse processing and traditional plant-based diets offers a competitive advantage in developing high-quality, nutritious pulse-based products that cater to evolving consumer preferences worldwide.
The idea of alternative meat, such as those products derived from pulses, does not strongly resonate with the Indian population. This is because India has a predominantly vegetarian demographic, and even among non-vegetarians, animal-based protein is not consumed daily. However, there is significant potential to enhance the daily diets of the Indian population with protein derivatives from pulses. Given that the Indian diet is largely carbohydrate-heavy and protein deficiency is a major contributor to widespread malnutrition, fortifying meals with pulse-based protein can be highly beneficial.
With the rapid growth of the Indian economy and rising disposable incomes, the demand for protein-rich and nutritious food products is expected to increase exponentially in the coming years. A shift towards plant-based foods from pulses is warranted to combat the pressing issue of global warming. Incorporating various pulses into protein products can also help India’s agricultural sector, reduce and reverse groundwater depletion, diversify crops and improve farmer welfare. The versatility of pulses makes them ideal candidates for diverse culinary applications, further driving their market potential. Collaboration between farmers, researchers, businesses, and policymakers is essential to create a robust pulse-based food ecosystem that meets global demands.
What do you see as the key mission and priorities of your association in shaping India’s pulses and grains industry?
As the apex body of India’s pulses trade and industry, IPGA’s mission is to advocate a stable trade policy of pulses in the best interests of the Indian farmers, consumers, and trade as well as our foreign counterparts to encourage them to grow pulses for India’s rising demand and ensure regular availabilty of pulses at reasonable prices.
IPGA places a strong emphasis on promoting pulse consumption among the Indian masses, given the widespread prevalence of malnutrition and undernutrition caused by protein deficiency. We also firmly advocate for the Government of India to raise awareness about the health benefits of pulses by incorporating them into various welfare schemes, ensuring that underprivileged sections of the population have access to protein-rich and nutritious food.
CAN INDIA ACHIEVE PULSE SELF-SUFFICIENCY?
India’s dependence on pulse imports fluctuates based on domestic production. Do you see India moving towards self-sufficiency in pulses in the coming years, or will imports continue to play a major role? How do you see India’s role evolving in the global pulses trade?
We appreciate and applaud the Government of India’s efforts in substantially increasing pulse production from 16 million tonnes in 2015-16 to 27 million tonnes in 2021-22. This impressive growth spanning over just five years is truly commendable. With the government’s continued commitment, we are confident that India is on the path to achieving ‘Self Reliance’ in pulses production.
However, the demand for pulses in India continues to grow and is expected to increase further in the coming years. Currently, India stands as the world’s fifth-largest economy and is on track to become the third-largest economy by 2027, with a projected GDP exceeding USD 5 trillion. The increasing demand for pulses in India is fueled by rising income levels, greater disposable income, a growing emphasis on healthy lifestyles, and heightened awareness of their nutritional benefits. Presently, India’s indigenous production is around 26 million tonnes and we expect the demand of pulses to be 40 million tonnes by 2030.
Climate fluctuations pose significant challenges to domestic pulse production, as most pulses are grown in rainfed areas and are highly susceptible to adverse weather conditions. One adverse monsoon or excessive rainfall during the harvest period can severely hamper the production dynamics of pulses.
Consequently, importing pulses becomes crucial for India to bridge the demand-supply gap, ensure availability, stabilize prices, and safeguard the nation’s food and nutrition security. As the demand for pulses is bound to rise and even though the Government of India is making significant efforts towards achieving self-reliance, there are major challenges that need to be addressed. As a result, India will still need to import certain quantities of pulses from time to time.
Which pulse varieties does India rely most on for imports?
There are five major pulses in the Indian market viz desi chickpeas, lentils, pigeon peas, black matpe and green mung. India imports different pulse varieties to bridge shortfall between the indigenous production and domestic demand. India majorly imports lentils, pigeon peas, black matpe and yellow peas. India has imported a record 6.7 million tonnes of pulses during the calendar year 2024 comprising of 3 million tonnes of yellow peas, 1 million tonnes of pigeon peas, 0.8 – 1 million tonnes of red lentils and around 0.8 million tonnes of black matpe.
INDIA’S GLOBAL PULSE MAP
Which countries are emerging as key suppliers to India? How do you see India’s trade relationships with major pulse-exporting countries like Canada, Australia, and Russia evolving in the future?
Canada, Australia and Russia have been India’s regular and reliable suppliers. We have been importing pulses from Canada and Australia for the past few decades. Russia has also emerged as a major supplier in recent times and sizeable amounts of yellow peas have been imported from Russia. Additionally, Russia has begun focusing on lentil production, and we anticipate it becoming a key supplier to help meet India’s growing demand for lentils. Myanmar has long been a trusted supplier of pulses to India. Additionally, India imports pulses from East African countries and emerging pulse-producing origins such as Brazil.
INDIA’S 2025 PULSE OUTLOOK
Looking ahead to the 2025/26 season, what are your projections for India’s pulse production, consumption, and trade?
India’s pulse production was approximately 27 million tonnes in the year 2021-22 and 26 million tonnes in 2022-23 but saw a sharp decline to 24.25 million tonnes in the year 2023-24 due to the impact of the El Niño phenomenon. Although the Government of India is making efforts to boost production, it remains heavily dependent on the monsoon, making it challenging to predict crop yields in advance. Additionally, rainfall must be well-distributed across growing regions. In some instances, even a good monsoon has not guaranteed a successful harvest, as excessive rainfall during the harvest period has adversely affected crops. However, barring any extreme weather conditions, we anticipate a moderate increase in production compared to the year 2023-24 and expect the production for the year 2024-25 to be around 25.5 million tonnes.
CALL FOR PREDICTABILITY IN PULSE TRADE
What are the major challenges currently facing India’s pulses and grains sector, both domestically and in international trade?
Boosting pulse production is a significant challenge, as domestic production is not keeping pace with the growing demand. Since pulses are primarily grown in rainfed areas, their yield is highly unpredictable—fluctuating between surplus in some years and severe shortfalls in others. While the government often intervenes to manage these fluctuations, we advocate for a stable trade policy. Such a policy would provide clarity and confidence to all stakeholders, including Indian farmers, foreign producers, as well as domestic and international trade and industry.
The Indian government has unveiled a six-year program to boost pulse production and reduce import dependency. What impact do you foresee this initiative on the pulses supply chain? How do government policies influence the pulses market in India?
Yes, the Government of India has launched a pulses mission aiming for self-reliance within the next six years, though this remains dependent on climatic conditions. With a focus on key areas such as developing climate-resilient seeds, pest-resilient seeds, enhancing yields and measures to mitigate post-harvest losses, we are optimistic about increased production, especially as Indian research institutions are making dedicated efforts toward this goal. IPGA is actively collaborating with the government and research institutions to achieve this objective and has suggested the development of modern infrastructure facilities and robust supply chain management to curtail post-harvest losses.
India is the world’s largest consumer of pulses, given their importance in daily diets. Have there been any notable shifts in consumer preferences regarding specific pulse varieties?
India is a highly price-sensitive market, where pulse consumption patterns are largely influenced by price fluctuations. While yellow peas have a market size of approximately 700,000–800,000 tonnes, India imported around 3 million tonnes when duty-free imports were allowed. This surge in imports was driven by the fact that yellow peas provide a more affordable protein source compared to other pulses, making them a suitable substitute for costlier varieties like pigeon peas and black matpe. Consequently, there has been a significant shift in consumption towards yellow peas over other pulse varieties.
However, certain segments of the population continue to prefer premium pulses such as pigeon peas and black matpe. Regional consumption patterns also vary—black matpe is predominantly consumed in southern India, Lentils are popular in the south, pigeon peas are mainly consumed in the northern and western regions, desi chickpeas are widely consumed across all regions, and green mung is favored in the northern, western, and eastern parts of the country. Pulses serve a variety of culinary purposes across India, being used in curries, snacks, sweets, and soups, as well as in flour and different types of bread.
KEY DRIVERS OF PULSE PRICE VOLATILITY
Miller Magazine Editor-in-Chief
Namık Kemal Parlak with Bimal Kothari,
Chairman of IPGA,
at the Global Grain and Pulses Forum
in Dubai, discussing industry developments
and future insights.
What are the key factors affecting the price volatility of pulses in global and domestic markets?
Demand and supply are the primary factors influencing price volatility in both global and domestic pulse markets. Since pulses are predominantly grown in rainfed areas, droughts can significantly impact production. India’s annual domestic pulse consumption is approximately 31–32 million tonnes, and adverse climatic conditions can reduce production by 10–15%, equating to a shortfall of 4–5 million tonnes—a substantial volume. Consequently, fluctuations in demand and supply, climate change, and occasional shifts in government policies contribute to price volatility in the pulse market.
Would you like to add anything else?
Pulses crop is very important in the life of every Indian, and India will continue to be the epicenter of the global pulses trade and industry. The global pulses market cannot thrive without India’s active participation. Going forward, pulse cultivation will contribute in mitigating the pressing issue of global warming. IPGA seeks to collaborate with foreign pulse-producing origins to enhance global food and nutrition security, promote environmental sustainability, and support farmers’ well-being, thereby fostering a collective effort for the benefit of humanity and agricultural systems worldwide at large.