AgPulse Analytica zooms in on Indian pigeon pea demand/
Will imports hit a new record in 2023?

India holds the distinction of being the world's leading producer, consumer, and importer of pigeon peas. Also known as arhar or toor/tur, pigeon peas are a traditional Kharif crop sown from June to August and harvested between October and November.

Production trends

Although India is the largest producer of pigeon peas, it has to import significant quantities from Myanmar and East Africa to meet domestic demand. According to government data, the country’s production has recently taken a hit: production of above 4.2MMT in the last two years plummeted to just 3.312 MMT in 2022. Owing to reduced acreage and abnormal rainfall patterns in 2023, AgPulse Analytica expects a further cut of over 10% from last year’s figure. Although the first government estimate for this year’s production projects 3.421 MMT of pigeon peas, this figure is based on average yields from the last three years and the AgPulse Analytica model suggests a crop of around 2.85 MMT.