Why buyers source Indian lentils
Lentils are among the most traded pulses in the world, and India is the largest consumer of them. That single fact shapes everything about the export trade in Indian lentils: the country grows a substantial crop, imports whole seed from Canada and Australia, mills at scale, and exports processed lines back out.
For a buyer this is an advantage on splits and a constraint on whole seed. Indian milling capacity is deep, competitively priced and used to running to a specification, so red split lentils out of India are a reliable line even in a year when domestic whole-seed surplus is thin.
The growing belt runs across Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal as a rabi crop, arriving from late February.
Pulse import and export policy in India moves frequently and in both directions. Confirm the live position before contracting rather than relying on last season’s arrangement.
What India offers in lentils
Whole red lentils, football grade
Large-seeded whole masoor, five millimetres and above, with the intact seed coat. It carries a premium in retail and food service where visual size matters.
Malka masoor
Smaller whole red lentil, four to five millimetres, the volume grade in South Asian and Gulf markets and the base material for much of the split trade.
Red split lentils
Dehusked and split masoor, the largest export line, contracted on colour, uniformity, unhusked percentage and cooking time rather than on seed size.
Green and brown lentils
A smaller trade in India, moving mainly into specific regional markets and into blends, and generally contracted on size and colour uniformity.
Reference specifications for Indian lentils
The table above is the working baseline for Indian lentils. Size, defect limits and cooking behaviour are what decide value, and cooking behaviour is the one that cannot be seen.
On splits, the specification changes shape entirely. Unhusked percentage, colour uniformity and fines are the parameters that matter, and seed size is irrelevant.
Other-pulse contamination should be given a numeric limit. It is a real risk on mixed processing lines and it is the defect most likely to reach a consumer visibly.
Ask for a cook test on any material that is not new crop: soak time, cook time and firm-seed percentage after a defined cycle. Storage hardens seed coats and lengthens cooking time.
Food safety and residues on Indian lentils
Residues on Indian lentils follow the destination’s maximum residue levels. Storage protectants are the usual source of exceedance on pulses, so specify testing on the finished lot rather than on the field crop.
Glyphosate is worth naming explicitly where imported Canadian or Australian seed may have been milled into the lot, because pre-harvest application practice differs by origin and the residue travels through milling.
Fumigation is standard on pulses. Specify the fumigant, dose and duration, and confirm the method is accepted at destination before loading.
Documentation for an Indian lentils shipment
- Commercial invoice and packing list with lot numbers matching the bags
- Bill of lading or air waybill
- Certificate of origin, preferential where a trade agreement applies
- Phytosanitary certificate with the destination’s additional declarations
- Fumigation certificate stating fumigant, dose, duration and temperature
- Certificate of analysis covering size, moisture, purity and defect limits
- Cook test report on stored or milled material
- Pesticide residue report from an accredited laboratory
- Milling date declaration on split and processed lines
Exports are registered through APEDA and phytosanitary certification is issued by the Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage.
Packing and shipping Indian lentils
Whole Indian lentils ship in 25 kg or 50 kg PP woven bags with food-grade liners. Splits are commonly packed in 25 kg bags for retail repacking at destination, and increasingly in printed consumer packs for buyers who want a finished product.
A 20 ft container loads about 25 to 27 MT bagged and is weight limited. Container liners are worth specifying on food-grade lots.
Ask for a sealed retention sample from every shipped lot. On a colour or cooking dispute it converts an argument into a test.
Ports and routes for Indian lentils
Most Indian lentils ship through Mundra, Kandla and Nhava Sheva, with Kolkata serving eastern processing capacity. Indicative transit runs eight to twelve days to Jebel Ali, fourteen to twenty days to Southeast Asia and twenty-two to thirty days to North European base ports.
Plan the fumigation window into the schedule, since in-transit fumigation is not accepted in every market.
Season and availability of Indian lentils
Lentil is a rabi crop. Sowing runs through late October and November, harvest begins in late February, and peak mandi arrivals fall in March and April. New-crop material carries the best colour and the shortest cooking time.
Split lentil availability is less seasonal, because milling runs on both domestic and imported whole seed. That makes splits the more dependable line for buyers with year-round programmes.
How Indian lentils are priced and contracted
The price of Indian lentils is built from the mandi or import parity price of whole seed, milling yield on splits, cleaning and grading, packing and inland freight, and the exporter’s margin, with ocean freight and insurance added on CIF terms. On splits, milling yield is the number that moves the offer most.
Most contracts run FOB with CIF on request, against an irrevocable letter of credit at sight. Include a policy-change clause on contracts running beyond the season.
How to qualify an Indian lentils supplier
- Ask for the IEC, APEDA registration and FSSAI licence numbers and verify them independently.
- Ask which mill will process the lot and whether it holds ISO 22000 or HACCP certification.
- Ask for a pre-shipment sample from the actual lot with size, unhusked percentage and cook test reported.
- Ask how storage-protectant and glyphosate residues are managed and tested.
- Ask for two references in your own market who have taken material in the last twelve months.
RNG Agro Exports holds FSSAI, APEDA and ISO 22000 certification and works with pulse mills across the northern and central belt. Our Indian chickpeas guide covers the other major pulse line from the same processing base.
Common mistakes importers make with Indian lentils
The first is contracting without a size or, on splits, without an unhusked limit. Both are the price.
The second is skipping the cook test on stored material. Cooking time is what the end user experiences.
The third is ignoring the origin of the whole seed behind a split lot, which matters for residue profile.
The fourth is buying splits on a long lead time without a milling date. Colour fades and the complaint arrives at retail.
Frequently asked questions about Indian lentils
- What types of lentils does India supply?
- Whole red lentils, including large football grade and smaller malka masoor, red split lentils, and smaller volumes of green and brown lentils. Split red lentil is the largest export line because Indian milling capacity is deep and competitively priced.
- What size should I specify?
- Football grade is five millimetres and above and commands a premium in food service and retail. Malka runs four to five millimetres. For splits, size is replaced by uniformity, unhusked percentage and colour, so the specification changes shape.
- Why does India both import and export lentils?
- India is the largest consumer of lentils in the world and imports whole seed from Canada and Australia, while also exporting milled splits and processed lines. The export trade therefore runs on processing capability as much as on domestic surplus.
- How long do split lentils keep?
- Splits are a milled product and both colour and cooking behaviour drift over time. Specify a milling date, packaging that excludes light, and a shelf life. Six to nine months is a common working assumption for retail-grade splits.
- How much lentil loads into a container?
- Roughly 25 to 27 MT in a 20 ft container in 50 kg PP bags. Splits are frequently packed in 25 kg bags for retail repacking, which reduces the payload slightly but simplifies handling at destination.
- Type and size drive price. Football (whole red), malka, and split red lentils are distinct products, and buyers who contract “lentils” without a size get whatever the season produced.
- Splits are milled products with a shorter shelf life and a colour that fades. Contract a milling date and specify packaging that excludes light.
- Cooking time is the property a food service buyer actually consumes. Ask for a cook test alongside the visual specification, especially on stored material.
- India both produces and imports lentils, so the export trade runs on processing and re-export as much as on domestic surplus. That is an advantage on splits and a constraint on whole seed.
- A 20 ft container loads roughly 25 to 27 MT in 50 kg PP bags; splits are usually packed in 25 kg bags for retail repacking.
| Parameter | Whole red (football) | Malka masoor | Red split |
|---|---|---|---|
| Size | 5.0 mm+ | 4.0–5.0 mm | — |
| Moisture | 12.0% max | 12.0% max | 12.0% max |
| Foreign matter | 0.5% max | 0.5% max | 0.3% max |
| Broken and split | 2.0% max | 2.0% max | — |
| Damaged / discoloured | 1.0% max | 1.5% max | 1.0% max |
| Other pulses | 0.5% max | 0.5% max | 0.3% max |
| Purity | 99.5% min | 99.0% min | 99.5% min |
| Unhusked / skin | — | — | 1.0% max |
A lentil that looks right and cooks slowly has usually spent a year in storage. Seed coats harden with age and cooking time lengthens quietly. On any lot that is not new crop, a cook test is worth more than another visual inspection.
| Whole Red Lentils (Football) | On request | up |
| Malka Masoor | On request | flat |
| Red Split Lentils | On request | up |
| Green / Brown Lentils | On request | flat |
| Oct 25 | Rabi Sowing — MP, UP, Bihar |
| Feb 25 | Harvest Begins |
| Mar 31 | Peak Mandi Arrivals |
| Aug 31 | Import Parity and Policy Position Clear |
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