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Informist, Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025

 

--Food minister: Govt to stop duty-free import of yellow peas

--CONTEXT: Food minister Pralhad Joshi on sidelines of IPGA event

 

By Pallavi Singhal and Afra Abubacker

 

NEW DELHI – The government will stop duty-free import of yellow peas, Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Pralhad Joshi told Informist on the sidelines of The Pulses Conclave 2025. A decision on the issue is likely to be taken at a meeting of a group of ministers scheduled Thursday.

 

"The discussion regarding the final duty (on yellow peas) will be held Thursday. There will be representatives from the agriculture ministry, commerce ministry, and the finance ministry. A decision will be made. We have already given our representation," said Joshi, without revealing the ministry's suggestion on the duty for the commodity.

 

However, according to another government official, who did not want to be identified, the discussions are heading towards a duty of 10-20% on the import of yellow peas.

 

"With the government's decision to work on making India self-reliant in pulses alongside the fact that policies have, so far, helped keep prices of the two commodities (tur and chana) low, it is only just that the policy be looked at again," a top government official had told Informist earlier this month.

 

The government had removed the 50% import duty on yellow peas in December 2023 with a deadline of Feb. 28 this year, to control rising prices of both tur and chana. Yellow peas are used as a substitute for both pulses. The government also removed the 66% import duty on chana in May 2024.

 

As a result, imports of yellow peas zoomed to 2.73 million tonnes in the first nine months of 2024 from virtually nothing the preceding year. Yellow peas are the cheapest variety of pulses available in the country and urrently, their prices range between INR 3,675 and INR 3,950 per 100 kg.  End

 

With inputs from Shreya Shetty

Edited by Nishant Maher

 

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