Russia and India Agree to Expand Pea and Lentil Trade

Russian and Indian Agribusiness Leaders Meet in Moscow

Representatives of Russia's and India's agricultural sectors met on September 22 in Moscow at the office of the Agroexport federal center to discuss expanding Russian pulse exports to India, according to oleoscope.com. The talks centered on increasing India's purchases of yellow peas and lentils from Russian suppliers, two crops that form the core of Russia's pulse trade with the country.

The Russian side was represented by Ksenia Bolomatova, deputy general director of state grain trader OZK, who also holds the post of executive director of the Russian Grain Union, and Ilya Ilyushin, head of Agroexport. The Indian delegation was led by Bimal Kothari, chairman of the India Pulses and Grains Association (IPGA), and Satish Upadhyay, the association's secretary general.

India's Pulse Import Needs Set to Grow

Kothari underlined the strategic importance of the pulse trade for New Delhi, telling the meeting that India remains the world's largest importer of pulses. Current domestic demand stands at 32 million tonnes a year, of which the country imports roughly 6 million tonnes, he said. By 2030, consumption is projected to climb to 38-40 million tonnes, which would require India to import an additional 8 million tonnes or so of pulses to cover the shortfall, according to Kothari.

"Demand is increasing, incomes are rising, and as a result food needs are growing. Pulses are of great importance for our population," Kothari said, according to oleoscope.com.

Sides Discuss Long-Term Contracts, Logistics and Quality Standards

Negotiators worked to lay the groundwork for direct, long-term supply contracts between Russian producers and Indian buyers, a shift away from one-off spot purchases. The two delegations also discussed logistics arrangements for moving pulse shipments between the countries, payment terms for transactions, and the quality requirements Indian buyers expect from Russian yellow peas and lentils.

Following the meeting, participants from both countries expressed mutual interest in strengthening trade ties and in moving the relationship from occasional, deal-by-deal purchases toward a more systematic, long-term partnership, oleoscope.com reported.

Context: India Building Out Storage Capacity

Oleoscope previously reported that India has been expanding its grain storage infrastructure, a buildout that would help the country handle larger import volumes of pulses and grains as consumption climbs toward the 38-40-million-tonne level Kothari cited. For Russian exporters, the Moscow talks mark a concrete step toward capturing a larger share of a market that, by India's own estimates, will need millions of additional tonnes of imported pulses within the next several years.