Kabuli or desi: two different purchases

The first decision is not a grade. It is which of two distinct products you want.

This distinction also explains India’s position honestly. Desi is where India’s scale lies — it is the bulk of the national crop and the natural strength of Indian supply. Kabuli is a smaller share of Indian cultivation, and India itself imports kabuli from other origins in some seasons. On kabuli, Indian supply competes directly with Mexico, Canada, Turkey, Russia and Australia, and a record Australian crop forecast for late 2026 is expected to add supply to the market.

The practical reading: Indian kabuli is worth pricing on size, appearance and transit time into the Gulf, North Africa and West Asia, where Indian freight is short. Indian desi, chana dal and besan are where Indian origin is structurally strongest. Say which you are buying at the top of the enquiry, because the two are quoted, graded and inspected differently.

Kabuli size grading: how it works, and how it fails

Kabuli is sold on size, measured by passing seed over round-hole screens in millimetres. The larger the seed, the higher the price, with the largest sizes traded under the name dollar gram.

Some buyers, particularly in the Mediterranean trade, specify count per ounce rather than millimetres. Either is workable; mixing the two in one negotiation is not.

A size grade is meaningless without a screen tolerance. “12 mm” should read as, for example, “retained on 12 mm screen, maximum X percent passing through 11 mm.” Without that tolerance a lot described as 12 mm can arrive carrying a large share of smaller seed, and there is nothing in the contract to point to. This is the most common kabuli dispute, and one sentence in the specification prevents it.

What canners and hummus makers should specify

If your chickpeas are going into a retort or a hummus line, appearance is only half the specification. Cooking behaviour is the other half, and it is rarely written down.

• Hydration. How much water the seed takes up on soaking affects drained weight in a can and texture in a paste. Two lots of identical size and colour can hydrate differently.
• Split and burst after cooking. Seeds that split or burst in processing reduce yield and spoil presentation in a whole-bean can.
• Skin integrity and cooking time. Relevant to texture and to process consistency.
• Crop year. Older seed can hydrate more slowly and cook less evenly.

Where you can, specify a soak or hydration test and a maximum split or burst percentage after cooking, and run a sample through your own process before committing to volume. A supplier who asks what your process is has usually shipped to canners before.

Weevil damage: the storage risk that decides arrival quality

Chickpeas are vulnerable to pulse beetles, or bruchid weevils, which develop inside the seed. Damage can be invisible at loading and obvious on arrival, because an infestation present as eggs or larvae continues to develop through a long voyage.

Specify insect-damaged seed as its own line, require live insects nil, and require fumigation with the method, dosage and exposure period stated on the certificate. Phosphine is widely used; confirm the fumigation method is accepted by your destination, since acceptance of methyl bromide varies by country and by treatment purpose.

Moisture matters for the same reason. Dry, cool storage slows insect development and mould; damp, warm storage accelerates both. Keep moisture within specification and treat container preparation as part of the quality plan, not an afterthought.

Reference specifications

Processed forms

Besan deserves a word. It is valued as pure chickpea flour, and cheaper pulse flours can be blended into it. If you are buying besan, specify pure chickpea origin and ask how the supplier verifies it.

Market notes

• Gulf and North Africa. The UAE led Indian kabuli shipments in 2025, with Algeria second. Short transit from Indian west-coast ports is a real advantage here.
• Iran. A fast-growing destination. Confirm payment channels with your bank before contracting, since the banking position for Iran trade affects how settlement can be structured.
• Turkey. Both a major producer and an importer. Confirm import licensing and phytosanitary conditions for the season.
• China. Rose to third for Indian kabuli in 2025. Confirm phytosanitary protocol and any exporter or facility registration requirements with your importer before shipment.

Export policy

Indian pulses export policy has been restricted in the past, with kabuli chickpeas treated differently from other pulses during that period. Current policy should be confirmed with DGFT at the point of contracting. As with wheat and maize, treat Indian food grain policy as current rather than permanent, and include a policy-change clause covering unshipped balances in any term contract.

Documentation

• Importer Exporter Code from DGFT; APEDA registration; FSSAI licence
• Certificate of analysis: size and screen tolerance for kabuli, moisture, foreign matter, split and broken, insect damaged, other defects, with test date
• Phytosanitary certificate matching the destination’s import conditions
• Fumigation certificate stating method, dosage and exposure
• Pesticide residue, aflatoxin and ochratoxin reports against destination limits
• Weight and quality certificate from an independent surveyor at load port
• Certificate of origin; preferential origin documents where a trade agreement applies
• Non-GMO declaration where required; halal certification where the market requires
• Commercial invoice, packing list and bill of lading declaring HS 0713.20 — confirm the eight-digit sub-heading for kabuli or desi with your broker

Packing, loading and transit

Origin and season

Chickpea is a rabi crop, sown from October into November and harvested from February into April, with arrivals concentrating from March through May. Madhya Pradesh is the largest producing state, with Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat also significant. New crop is where hydration and cooking behaviour are best, which matters most to canners.

How to qualify an Indian chickpea supplier

1. State kabuli or desi, and for kabuli state size with a screen tolerance, before discussing price.
2. Ask how the lot is cleaned and sized — optical sorting and gravity separation remove stones, damaged and off-colour seed that manual cleaning misses.
3. Ask for insect-damaged percentage on a recent lot, and the fumigation method used.
4. For canning, ask whether the supplier can provide a hydration or cooking test, and test a sample yourself.
5. For besan, ask how pure chickpea origin is verified.
6. Agree independent surveyor inspection at load port, naming the surveyor.
7. For Iran, China and Turkey, confirm payment, protocol and licensing positions before the first shipment.

Frequently asked questions

Kabuli or desi?

Different products. Kabuli is large and cream-coloured, bought whole for hummus, canning and retail. Desi is smaller and darker, bought mainly for chana dal and besan. Desi is the bulk of India’s crop.

How is kabuli graded?

By millimetre screen size, from around 7–8 mm up to 12 mm and above (dollar gram), or by count per ounce. Always state a screen tolerance — the maximum percentage passing the next smaller screen.

What should canners specify?

Hydration and split or burst after cooking, in addition to size and colour. Test a sample in your own process before contracting volume.

What is the main storage risk?

Pulse beetle, which develops inside the seed and can be invisible at loading. Specify insect damage separately, live insects nil, and fumigation with method stated.

How much loads into a container?

Around 24 to 26 MT in 50 kg bags in a 20-foot container, weight limited.

What is the HS code?

HS 0713.20 for chickpeas. Confirm the eight-digit national sub-heading for kabuli or desi with your broker.

• Different products. Kabuli is large and cream-coloured, bought whole for hummus, canning and retail. Desi is smaller and darker, bought mainly for chana dal and besan. Desi is the bulk of India’s crop.
• By millimetre screen size, from around 7–8 mm up to 12 mm and above (dollar gram), or by count per ounce. Always state a screen tolerance — the maximum percentage passing the next smaller screen.
• Hydration and split or burst after cooking, in addition to size and colour. Test a sample in your own process before contracting volume.
• Pulse beetle, which develops inside the seed and can be invisible at loading. Specify insect damage separately, live insects nil, and fumigation with method stated.

The practical reading: Indian kabuli is worth pricing on size, appearance and transit time into the Gulf, North Africa and West Asia, where Indian freight is short. Indian desi, chana dal and besan are where Indian origin is structurally strongest. Say which you are buying at the top of the enquiry, because the two are quoted, graded and inspected differently.