Forms first: name the product, not the pulse

These are separate purchases with separate specifications and prices. An enquiry that says “moong” or “urad” without naming the form cannot be quoted, and the form determines which of the quality questions below actually matter to you.

Urad: bought for batter behaviour, not just protein

This is the section that matters most, and it is almost always left out of urad specifications that stop at purity and moisture.

White urad dal is the backbone of fermented batter — idli, dosa, vada. Its commercial value in that application is what it does in the batter: the ability to trap air, build viscosity, and give volume, lift and texture after fermentation. That is a functional property, not a compositional one, and it does not show up on a standard certificate of analysis.

Three things degrade it:

• Age. Batter performance falls with time in storage, and old stock can test perfectly while performing poorly.
• Heat damage during drying or processing.
• Heavy polishing. Aggressive polishing improves appearance and can reduce batter performance at the same time.

So specify crop year, the polish level, and the processing date — and then do the thing that separates a serious buyer from a hopeful one: run a batter trial against a retained sample before contracting a programme. Ferment it in your own process, at your own ratio, and measure rise and texture. A lot that passes every line on the COA can still disappoint in batter. A supplier who has sold batter-grade urad before will expect this question; one who is surprised by it is selling on appearance.

Sprouting moong: viability is the specification, and fumigation can destroy it

Sprouting-grade green gram is a different purchase from food-grade whole moong, and buying it on an ordinary specification is the most common way this trade goes wrong.

What you are buying is viability. Germination percentage is the specification. And viability is a living property that processing and treatment can destroy — fumigation method and dosage, and any heat treatment, can all reduce germination while leaving every other parameter untouched.

Specify a minimum germination percentage, state clearly whether it is measured at load port or on arrival, and agree the fumigation method explicitly against that requirement rather than leaving it to the exporter’s standard practice. Also confirm the method is accepted at your destination. Getting these three lines right is the whole purchase; getting them wrong produces a container of perfectly good food-grade moong that will not sprout.

Seed size for whole moong

Bold, uniform seed commands a premium in retail and in sprouting. Specify size or count, and a tolerance, rather than relying on the word “bold” — the same discipline that applies to kabuli chickpea screens.

Polish: declare it, in three positions

Both moong dal and urad dal are commonly polished. As with lentils, there are three positions and they are not interchangeable: unpolished, water polished, or oil polished with the oil named.

Where oil polishing is used, the oil becomes an ingredient in your finished product and may carry allergen or labelling consequences in your market. Specify one position explicitly in the contract and require the status declared on every lot certificate, not once at supplier approval. For batter-grade urad, the polish question is a performance question as well as a labelling one.

Origin: an honest note on urad

India is the world’s largest consumer of urad and also a substantial importer — over 1.07 million tonnes recently, principally from Myanmar and Brazil. A significant share of what is exported as Indian urad dal is imported whole black gram that has been milled, split and polished in India.

That is a legitimate and efficient structure, and Indian milling capacity in this pulse is genuinely deep. But it means Indian origin often describes the processing rather than the farm. If your label, your customer’s specification or your country-of-origin declaration depends on the growing origin, put it in the contract explicitly and ask what documentation supports it.

Green gram is a different story. India is a genuine producing origin — grown in the kharif and summer seasons — and dominates world green moong dal exports. The origin question that needs asking on urad does not arise in the same way on moong.

Reference specification

Weevil: the defect you cannot see at loading

Both pulses are vulnerable to pulse beetle, which develops inside the seed. An infestation present as eggs or larvae at loading continues to develop through a long voyage and is obvious on arrival. Specify insect-damaged seed as its own line, require live insects nil, and require fumigation with method, dosage and exposure stated — while remembering the germination constraint above if you are buying sprouting grade.

Export policy is a live risk in pulses

Indian pulses trade is genuinely exposed to sudden policy intervention — export restrictions and stock limits used to manage domestic prices, and import policy changes on the inbound side that move milling economics.

APEDA registration is mandatory for these shipments, so confirm your counterparty holds a current RCMC. And include a policy-change clause covering unshipped balances in any term contract, with the DGFT position confirmed on the contract date rather than assumed from the last deal.

Packing, loading and documentation

• Importer Exporter Code from DGFT; APEDA registration-cum-membership certificate; FSSAI licence
• Certificate of analysis: purity, moisture, foreign matter, damaged and weevilled, other colour, splits, size, crop year and processing date, with test date
• Germination certificate with measurement point for sprouting grade
• Polish declaration — unpolished, water polished, or oil polished with the oil named
• Raw material origin declaration where your specification requires it
• Aflatoxin, pesticide residue and heavy metals reports against destination limits
• Phytosanitary certificate; fumigation certificate stating method, dosage and exposure
• Weight and quality certificate from an independent surveyor at load port
• Certificate of origin; preferential origin documents where a trade agreement applies; halal certification where the market requires
• Commercial invoice, packing list and bill of lading — HS 0713.31 for whole green and black gram, with split and washed grades classifying separately; confirm the eight-digit sub-heading with your broker

How to qualify an Indian supplier

1. Name the form — whole, chilka, dhuli, sprouting or flour — before discussing price.
2. For batter-grade urad, ask for crop year and processing date, and run a batter trial before committing.
3. For sprouting moong, state minimum germination, the measurement point, and the fumigation method together.
4. State your polish requirement and get the answer in writing.
5. For urad, ask where the raw material comes from and whether it can be documented.
6. Establish whether the counterparty operates its own mill and sortex line or buys packed dal.
7. Agree independent surveyor inspection at load port and the quality determination point.

Frequently asked questions

What makes urad suitable for batter?

Its functional behaviour in fermentation — air trapping, viscosity, volume and texture. That degrades with age, heat damage and heavy polishing, and it does not appear on a standard COA. Specify crop year and polish, and run a batter trial.

Why can fumigation ruin sprouting moong?

Because you are buying viability. Fumigation method, dosage and heat treatment can all cut germination. Specify minimum germination, the measurement point, and the fumigation method together.

Is Indian urad grown in India?

Often only partly. India imported over 1.07 million tonnes recently, mainly from Myanmar and Brazil, and much exported urad dal is imported whole milled in India. Specify growing origin if your label depends on it. Moong is different — India is a genuine producing origin.

Polished or unpolished?

Three positions: unpolished, water polished, or oil polished with the oil named. Specify one and require the status on every lot.

How much loads into a container?

Around 25 to 26 MT in a 20-foot container; weight limited.

What is the HS code?

HS 0713.31 for whole green and black gram; split and washed grades classify separately. Confirm the eight-digit sub-heading with your broker.

• Its functional behaviour in fermentation — air trapping, viscosity, volume and texture. That degrades with age, heat damage and heavy polishing, and it does not appear on a standard COA. Specify crop year and polish, and run a batter trial.
• Because you are buying viability. Fumigation method, dosage and heat treatment can all cut germination. Specify minimum germination, the measurement point, and the fumigation method together.
• Often only partly. India imported over 1.07 million tonnes recently, mainly from Myanmar and Brazil, and much exported urad dal is imported whole milled in India. Specify growing origin if your label depends on it. Moong is different — India is a genuine producing origin.
• Three positions: unpolished, water polished, or oil polished with the oil named. Specify one and require the status on every lot.

These are separate purchases with separate specifications and prices. An enquiry that says “moong” or “urad” without naming the form cannot be quoted, and the form determines which of the quality questions below actually matter to you.