At a time when delayed monsoon rains have hampered the planting of sufficient pulses, India is expecting a bumper 2023-24 lentil crop.

While the planting area of other pulses diminished, red lentils’ acreage rose to 1.95 million hectares (ha) by January 19, 2024. This represents a 5.4% increase over the January, 2023 equivalent. 

Therefore, India’s red lentils (masur) harvest before June 2024 promises to breach the 1.5 million-tonne barrier of 2023.

Given this impressive planting area, Rohit Kumar Singh, the Consumer Affairs Secretary of India already foresees an “all-time high” production.

Area is king in India’s lentil fields and the more acreage there is, the more hopes of good yields. Underlining the importance of large acreage is the fact that despite leading in lentil production, India’s yield rate is low. It is less than 1000 kg/ha, unlike the world average of 1260 kg/ha. 

The extra planting area for the 2023-24 season might yield more than the 1.56 million tonnes of the 2022-23 year.

This amount, however, is not enough and India must import lentils from Australia, Canada and the United States. Imports from the U.S. dragged in recent years from trade tariffs but are picking after 2023 tariff cuts by India.

Chickpeas Falling

As production expectations rise for India’s lentil crop, other pulses, including chickpeas are down in acreage. 

Owing to a late monsoon, the chickpea planting period was pushed back to beyond the usual window of October 2023.  The Indian monsoon comes twice, namely the major July to September southwest monsoon and the lesser end-year northeast monsoon. In 2023, the July wave started six days earlier than normal with negligible rains and farmers had to postpone planting. 

With the planting window almost complete on January 19, 2024, chickpea planting area stood at 10.29 million ha, 6.8% down.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare stated that all rabi season legume plantings stood at 15.51 million ha., by January 19. Rabi is a season term that indicates crops that grow from winter to spring.

India produces 1 in every 5 lentils globally, but in Indian homes, lentils come second to chickpeas as the most popular pulse. 

The country ranks as a major consumer of the particularly healthy lentils and chickpeas. Both pulses enjoy lush consumption in the form of dal by the huge population of 1.417 billion.