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Informist, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026

 

MUMBAI – India's pulses output in the 2026 kharif season is likely to be lower due to a drop in acreage amid delayed and deficit monsoon, Dilip Mohanty, executive vice-president at Reliance Retail Ltd., said here Thursday. "Weather has been a roller-coaster, making crop vulnerable," Mohanty said at the Tefla's Globoil event.

 

Overall monsoon deficit is at 13-15%, while a 40?ficit in June delayed planting of key pulses. Though the gap narrowed in July and August, crop yields remained vulnerable, he said. "Critical vegetative stage lacks moisture consistency, yield is at risk," he added.

 

He expects domestic tur production to decline by 20% on year to 2.8 million tonnes in the current crop season. Also, weaker-than-expected crop production of tur in Africa and declining inventories are likely to keep the FY28 balance sheet tight, he said. "Market may correct further before the arrival of the new crop," he added.

 

In Maharashtra, dry and volatile weather conditions brought tur and urad acreage down, while cotton and oilseed picked up pace. Extreme rain deficits in key pulses growing areas of Karnataka caused tur and moong sowing in the state to reduce, according to Mohanty. However, in Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, and Gujarat, the monsoon picked up, albeit after a delayed start, and resulted in an increase in sowing of major pulses, he added.  

 

During the southwest monsoon season (Jun-Sept), the country received 12.6?ficit rains at 759.4 millimetres, the fourth lowest since 2001, according to data from the India Meteorological Department. The weather agency said El Nino conditions are likely to continue strengthening through the end of 2026, causing 'below-normal' rainfall over most parts of India during Oct-Dec.

 

The subsurface, soil moisture, and reservoir levels are lower than usual, which will negatively impact the sowing of key pulses such as chana, he said. For chana, the situation transitioned from a comfortable balance sheet in 2025-26 (Apr-Mar) to a potentially tight year, according to Mohanty.

 

In FY26, opening stocks of chana were seen at 917,000 tonnes. Production was at 11.5 million tonnes and imports at 600,000 tonnes, he said. Prices, for most of the season, were below the minimum support price. However, in FY27, a fall in production in Australia emerged as a big external threat. The new crops haven't been planted yet; prices are likely to begin responding even before crops are known, he added.  End

 

Reported by Krupa Biju, J. Navya Sruthi, and Shreya Shetty

Edited by Avishek Dutta

 

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