India’s Pigeon Pea Market: Split Tone as Imports Firm, Desi Grades Soften

India’s pigeon pea complex is trading with a split tone: imported lemon and African-origin grades are firming, while domestic desi arhar is easing under weak dal mill demand. MSP support and thin stockist selling are limiting downside, but mills are currently well covered. India’s pigeon pea market is in a classic short-term pause. Imported lemon arhar remains relatively expensive on the back of higher Myanmar loadings and increased CIF values, even as domestic desi grades soften across several wholesale hubs. African origins are quietly firmer and gaining traction as value alternatives. Government MSP has been raised but on-the-ground procurement is negligible, keeping market direction in the hands of mills and import flows. Over the next 2–4 weeks, imported lemon and African origins look slightly firmer, while desi arhar is likely to drift in a narrow band as seasonal demand gradually eases.

Prices & Short-Term Trends

Lemon arhar of the 2026 crop season softened in key Indian centres on Thursday. Delhi quotes slipped by about $0.78 to roughly $85.23–85.49 per 100 kg, with Mumbai lemon easing by $0.26 to around $82.38 per 100 kg. Chennai lemon arhar also edged down $0.26 to about $82.38–82.64 per 100 kg, reflecting reduced dal mill buying after earlier restocking.

In contrast, imported African origins are edging higher against this broader softness. In Mumbai, Sudan-origin arhar rose about $1.04 to roughly $72.02 per 100 kg, Mozambique gajri gained to around $66.32–66.84, and white Mozambique arhar firmed to about $67.62–68.13 per 100 kg. On a CIF Indian-port basis, Mozambique white arhar for May–June shipment is holding near $625–630 per tonne, Mozambique gajri around $620–625 per tonne, while Sudan arhar via containers for June–July has moved up to about $841 per tonne.

💶 Indicative International Pea Price Snapshot (converted to EUR)

Using recent FX conventions (approx. 1 USD ≈ 0.92 EUR), current pigeon pea levels translate into the following indicative ranges:

In the European feed and food pea segment, recent offers show stable dried pea values. Green peas from Ukraine (Odesa, FCA) are indicated around 0.33 EUR/kg, yellow peas from Ukraine about 0.26 EUR/kg, and UK-origin green and marrowfat peas (FOB London) near 1.02 and 1.33 EUR/kg respectively, with little change in recent updates.

Supply, Demand & Policy Drivers

Dal mill demand for both desi and lemon arhar has softened after a period of active coverage. Mills in major hubs such as Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai are generally well supplied and are restricting fresh buying to immediate needs. This is weighing on domestic desi arhar prices in centres like Katni, Solapur, Akola, Kanpur and Raipur, where quotes have eased in response to slower offtake.

On the supply side, imported lemon arhar remains relatively expensive due to costlier Myanmar loadings and still-elevated CIF values. At the same time, domestic arrivals are on the lighter side, and stockist selling at lower prices has been thin, helping to prevent a sharper downside break. India’s pigeon pea imports rose by about 21% in the fiscal year ended March 2026 to 1.483 million tonnes from 1.223 million tonnes a year earlier, underpinned by steady Myanmar shipments and increased African-origin flows.

Policy support remains present but not fully activated. The federal government has lifted the Minimum Support Price (MSP) to roughly $87.56 per 100 kg, raising the official floor for farmers. However, actual procurement on the ground is described as negligible so far, so MSP is functioning more as a psychological floor than a strong physical absorber of surplus. As a result, the market remains a buyer’s market in the short term, with mills and importers largely setting the tone.

Fundamentals & Weather Context

Fundamentally, India’s pigeon pea balance sheet is being shaped by a combination of robust imports and moderately constrained domestic supply. The 21% year-on-year increase in imports underscores India’s reliance on external origins, especially Myanmar and East African suppliers, to bridge its structural deficit. African origins are currently priced at a discount to benchmark MSP and to premium Myanmar lemon, which is encouraging gradual substitution in some pipelines.

Recent mandi and APMC indications from key growing and trading centres in India point to a wide price band depending on local arrivals and demand. In parts of central India, average arhar prices remain well below the national MSP equivalent when converted, while in tighter markets such as Tanduru, red gram has recently printed significantly higher spot levels due to limited arrivals and strong local demand. These regional divergences support a scenario of overall comfortable national supplies but localized tightness in some deficit zones.

Weather across major pigeon pea origins is seasonally warm going into the pre-monsoon period. In Myanmar’s central Dry Zone and parts of East Africa, conditions remain broadly in line with typical late-season patterns, without fresh weather shocks in the last few days that would immediately alter near-term export availability. Looking ahead, Indian monsoon onset and distribution will be critical for the next crop cycle, but current price dynamics are being driven more by demand, imports and policy than by immediate weather risks.

2–4 Week Market Outlook

Traders broadly expect a firmer tone to re-emerge in imported lemon arhar after the current pause, especially if Myanmar offers remain elevated and freight costs do not ease. African origins (Sudan and Mozambique) are also seen slightly firmer or at least well supported, given their attractive discount to Myanmar lemon and the ongoing need for India to diversify import sources. However, upside looks incremental rather than explosive in the near term.

Desi arhar, by contrast, is expected to drift in a relatively narrow range. With mills currently well covered and the seasonal peak in arhar dal consumption likely to fade after mid-June, demand-side support will gradually weaken. Once the summer demand peak passes, the broader pigeon pea complex could move into a more sideways, rangebound pattern into July, provided there are no sudden policy changes or weather-related supply shocks.

Trading Outlook & Strategy Hints

• Dal mills in India: Maintain a measured, hand-to-mouth approach on desi arhar in the immediate term, using any further softening to extend coverage modestly into July, especially if spot values move closer to or below MSP-equivalent levels.
• Importers & traders: For lemon arhar, avoid over-committing at current elevated Myanmar-linked CIF levels; instead, stagger purchases across the next 2–4 weeks and consider a higher share of African-origin cargoes where discounts to Myanmar remain attractive in EUR per tonne.
• Stockists: Given thin selling at lower prices and modest downside from MSP, holding moderate inventories of quality imported and African grades appears reasonable, but be prepared to release stocks if mill demand slows faster than expected after mid-June.
• European buyers of peas and pigeon peas: With EU dried pea prices (green, yellow, marrowfat) broadly stable in EUR terms and India in a buyer’s market phase, near-term procurement can focus on execution and quality rather than urgent price risk hedging.

3-Day Directional Outlook (EUR Terms)