Australia and Brazil are planning to grow Arhar (pigeon peas) to meet the increasing demand for this popular yellow lentil in India. Arhar is the main ingredient used in dishes like ‘dal tadka’ and ‘sambhar,’ but domestic production in India has not been able to keep up with the rising demand.
To facilitate pigeon pea farming in Australia, a meeting was held between Australian Agriculture Minister Murray Watt, officials from India’s food ministry, and representatives of the Indian Pulses and Grains Association (IPGA). It was agreed that IPGA would collaborate with the Australian trade body Pulse Australia to support pigeon pea farming in Queensland.
In the past, Australia conducted a trial production of pigeon peas in 2019, and the quality was satisfactory. However, they couldn’t proceed with large-scale production due to unfavourable prices in the Indian market. Now, with the demand-supply gap reaching about 17 lakh tonnes (1.7 million tonnes), there is a strong incentive for sellers to explore growing pigeon peas in India.
Similarly, earlier in the year, IPGA had also signed an agreement with Brazil to assist farmers there in cultivating Arhar, as it is a new crop for the country. This move aims to boost global supply and cater to the growing demand in the Indian market.
The success of this initiative may depend on securing assured orders from the Indian government, which would give confidence to the Australian and Brazilian counterparts. However, given the significant deficit in Arhar supply in India, there seems to be a considerable assurance for any seller willing to export pigeon peas to India.