India has witnessed a steady flow of lentil supplies from its primary source, Canada, bolstering the country's import volumes throughout the initial ten months of 2023, as stated by a senior government official during a press briefing on Thursday.
According to Rohit Kumar Singh, the Secretary of the Department of Consumer Affairs, India imported a total of 1.09 million metric tons of lentils during the period from January to October, with 463,000 tons originating from Canada. Canada stands as India's principal supplier of lentils, an essential protein-rich ingredient widely used in preparing daal curry.
Singh mentioned, "There have been no reported grievances or difficulties concerning the importation of lentils from Canada."
Notably, Indian buyers had slowed their purchases in the previous month, a period marked by deteriorating diplomatic relations between India and Canada, following the mutual expulsion of diplomats by New Delhi and Ottawa. These actions were prompted by the murder of Khalitani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in the Canadian province of British Columbia in June, which had escalated tensions.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had pointed to credible evidence suggesting a potential link between Indian operatives and the murder of Nijjar, a Canadian citizen killed in a Vancouver suburb.
Consequently, buyers had temporarily shifted their focus to lentil purchases from Australia, with concerns about the imposition of government-led trade restrictions in light of the ongoing bilateral tensions. As a Mumbai-based lentil importer noted, "However, with the improvement in diplomatic relations, buyers are once again initiating purchases from Canada, and we anticipate fresh shipments from Canada arriving in November."
India's annual lentil consumption stands at approximately 2.4 million metric tons, but the domestic production falls short at 1.6 million tons. During the 2022/23 financial year ending on March 31, Canada emerged as India's largest supplier of lentils, with shipments totaling 485,492 metric tons valued at $370 million. This amounted to more than half of India's total lentil imports.
According to government data, prices for other essential protein-rich pulses, including chickpeas, pigeon peas, black matpe, and green gram, have experienced an upward trend in recent months.
However, Singh assured that the prices of pulses would remain stable, attributing this stability to the government's holding of around 4 million tons of pulse stocks and the consistent pace of imports.
