July 23, 2026
With geopolitical friction and price rises playing a key role, we delved into Pulse Atlas data and the factors that move the market to understand what mung traders inside and outside China can expect in the year to come.
Global mung bean suppliers are watching China’s demand closely as production expectations, price movements, and supply conditions shape the outlook for 2026.
The world's pulse producers increasingly turn to the Chinese market for its strong demand, which grows every year due to China's use of mung in the food processing industry, its demand for fresh sprouts in the summer months, and the use of mung derivatives as health supplement ingredients.
To get a clearer picture of the market’s inner workings, we looked into China's various mung suppliers and the different production hubs around the world, comparing price, production expectations, and projected consumption in the Chinese market.
Over the last decade, the Chinese mung market has seen significant changes in its dynamics, with imports far outweighing local production and demand itself seeing sizable growth in the 2020s.
Chinese mung bean imports to exports between 2017 and 2024. Source: Pulse Atlas.
As can be seen in the GPC’s Pulse Atlas data, mung bean imports into China more than tripled between 2017 and 2024 — rising from 180 KMT per year up to 596 KMT per year. Import origins have diversified over recent years to meet a demand that has reportedly risen much further between 2024 and 2026, with estimates suggesting annual consumption may now land between 800 KMT and 900 KMT.
The exact amount of imports per year can shift behind multiple factors, according to Joanna Tan, Head of International Business and Communications for Foshan Nanhai Jinhecheng Imp & Exp Co. The annual domestic harvest — which she places at "below 100 KMT" — and other core drivers such as the growth in food processing consumption, residue inspection rules, international pricing, and “disruptions in supply from Myanmar and Uzbekistan” can all have a significant influence.
The main suppliers of mung beans to the Chinese market continue to be Myanmar and Uzbekistan. Together, these origins are believed to supply more than 66% of all mung imports. However, China has diversified its suppliers, with some origins providing beans that typically carry a higher quality design for specific domestic markets.
“Australia is not China’s largest mung supplier by shipment tonnage — Myanmar and Uzbekistan supply far bigger volumes each year,” explains Joanna Tan, “however, Australia is our core premium-grade source for seed breeding and high-end food manufacturing, thanks to consistent low pesticide residues, stable grain quality and reliable supply chains.”
Other origins supplement the overall mung picture in China, such as Ethiopia, Thailand, India, and South America, but pesticide standards have become an important consideration for the Chinese market, sometimes affecting supply. Last August, the CEO of Myanmarese pulse exporter Arvee International, Shyam Narsaria, also discussed the issue of Myanmar's mung beans struggling to meet China's residue limits with roughly 100-200 Myanmarese containers rejected on arrival. Narsaria referred to this issue as "mostly resolved".
Joanna Tan believes such issues have led to shifts in import dynamics amongst the main suppliers: “Chinese buyers first filter suppliers against China’s strict national residue standards, then match grain quality to their end products (sprouting vs catering processing), before evaluating supply stability, logistics costs and official agricultural certifications. Amongst all suppliers, India has undeniably become the most important player since 2025, due to the pesticide residue issues of Myanmar crop.”
> AUSTRALIA
The 2026/27 picture for mung prices currently looks strong, reportedly buoyed by Chinese buying. Last week, Binod Agarwal of SGR Group stated that Australian traders had been receiving a "better price than recent years" — something backed up by James Hunt, President of the Australian Mung Bean Association, who told Grain Central in June that prices for this season's crop have become "extremely high", hovering between $1500-$1700/MT for farmers.
Hunt explained that exports were shipping at a rapid pace in June, with one key destination, saying: "We're furiously getting things out the door...to China, China and more China."
> INDIA AND SOUTH AMERICA
In India, kharif mung seedings are reportedly down year-on-year (an 11% drop as of July 17) according to the Indian Ministry of Agriculture, but whether this can be attributed to a weaker start to the monsoon, or will translate to shorter acreage overall, remains to be seen.
As for South American supply, back in May Brazilian trader Carla Borges said that Brazil would not have high levels of availability for mung this year, ruling them out as a strong supplier. However, Argentina has seen its acreage of mung beans rise by 40% in 2026 according to a report from Bichos de Campo. This is believed to be a historically large rise in Argentinian mung acres; with this harvest to be completed by the end of the month, we should have clearer numbers by August.
> THE BIG SUPPLIERS: UZBEKISTAN AND MYANMAR
Exact numbers or projections around Uzbekistan and Myanmar's production and projected exports in 2026 are not readily available. However, we are able to look at export numbers.
Myanmar exported around 355.2 KMT to multiple destinations - China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Japan, and the Philippines - between April 2025 and March 2026, according to the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI), which was a reported 41% volume decline from the year before, in which they exported 601 KMT.
Uzbekistan's production of mung beans has risen 127% between 2019 and 2025. Source: Pulse Atlas.
Industry reports suggest that Uzbekistan exported 85.5 KMT to China alone between January and November 2025, with no more recent data or projections available. What is certain is that Uzbekistan has been increasing its production of mung beans in recent years, with the Pulse Atlas showing a 127% rise in total production between 2019-2025.
All of the big suppliers of China's mung face certain difficulties unique to 2026. The geopolitical landscape remains complex, as the Strait of Hormuz closure continues to raise fuel and fertilizer prices. El Niño poses a very real risk in India and Myanmar, as this could impact the strength of the monsoon for both countries.
How badly global production is affected by these variables is difficult to judge. Right now, it appears that the market is reacting to China's growing demand and working to build its supply. The only question will be how much that is held back by events out of their control.
Qingdao Pulses Congress / China market / pulse trade / import demand / global supply / commodity outlook / food processing.
Disclaimer: The opinions or views expressed in this publication are those of the authors or quoted persons. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Global Pulse Confederation or its members.
