Govt imposes 10% duty on lentils, extends yellow peas duty-free import

New Delhi: The government has extended the duty-free import of yellow peas by three months till the end of May and clamped a 10 percent duty on imports of lentils (masur) with immediate effect, according to an official notification.

As of Saturday, a 10% import duty has been imposed on lentils (mosur), comprising a 5% basic customs duty and a 5% Agriculture Infrastructure and Development Cess (AIDC). Additionally, the government has extended the duty-free import of yellow peas by three months till May 31 to increase domestic availability of pulses and keep prices in check.

The government has been tuning its tariff policy on pulses to strike a balance between controlling inflation during periods of shortage and encouraging domestic production.

To stabilise local prices, the government permitted duty-free imports of yellow peas in December 2023, due to a shortfall in domestic 'chana' production. This exemption was subsequently extended until the end of February.

India imported 30 lakh tonnes of yellow peas in 2024, which accounted for nearly half of the country's total pulse imports of 67 lakh tonnes that year.

The government has also announced in Budget 2025 that procurement of tur (arhar), urad, and masur up to 100 percent of the production of the state will be continued for another four years through central nodal agencies to achieve self-sufficiency in pulses in the country.

Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan recently said the Centre has approved the procurement of Tur (Arhar) in Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh under the Price Support Scheme for the Kharif 2024-25 Season for a total quantity consolidating to 13.22 LMT.

(inputs from IANS)