• India’s Pulses Market likely to reach USD 25 Billion by 2026

• India’s demand set to race towards 33-35 million tonnes by 2030

• World’s largest event of the Pulses sector to set the roadmap for making India self-sufficient and help advance Nutrition Security

As a step, to realize its vision to make the Indian pulses and grains sector globally competitive and advance India’s food and nutrition security, India Pulses and Grains Association (IPGA) inaugurated its three-day mega global seminar ‘The Pulses Conclave 2023’ in Mumbai.

The participation, was witnessed by key stakeholders from around the world, including promotional agencies, research scientists, food technologists, processing companies, value chain participants, service providers, and related others are expected to congregate on a single platform to discuss the in-depth current status, future trends, trade policies, sustainability, and technological advances in this vital sector.

Bimal Kothari, chairman, India Pulses and Grains Association, said, “We must focus on exploring multiple technologies to focus on a better and sustainable yield. As we can witness a rise in incomes, there is a simultaneous rise in demand for commodities as well. For promoting a better trade of staple diet cereals like pulses, we need to promote sustainable policies. The pulses industry provides end number of opportunities through boosted demands and consumption. At IPGA, we advocate free trade policy for better import and export of pulses. IPGA, is committed to working with policymakers for designing growth-oriented policies. Participation in the next Zen start-ups and agriprenures are the highlight of this conclave”.

P. K. Singh, agriculture commissioner, Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, said, “Indian agriculture industry is well versed to have a fantastic production in the coming time. Our estimates say we had a production of 26.69 million tons of Pulses in 2021-22. In India, almost one-third of the population is vegetarian and heavily dependent on pulses to fulfill their protein requirements. Even for the non-vegetarian population, pulses form a major part of their daily diet. Thus, pulses become highly essential in production as good consumption on daily basis”.

Rohit Kumar Singh, IAS, secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs, Government of India, said, “As policymakers, it has been our priority to maintain a balance through better trade policies between the interest of consumers and producers. India’s pulses production has been growing up with time. It is important to have a consistent policy to protect consumer interests and ensure transparency in terms of trade policies”.

David Marit, minister - Agriculture, Saskatchewan Province, Canada, said, “Sustainability is the largest focus for crop production for our government and industry. Pulses, occupy 16 percent of the total production in 2021. Canada’s net carbon production is 50 percent lower than global competitors. We are pleased to see India guiding stability in the marketplace that benefits everyone. It is great to see Canada and India officially relaunch negotiations toward comprehensive trade agreements last year. This will lead towards mutually signed agreements towards aiming benefits and sustainability”.

The Pulses Conclave 2023 showcased the latest products, processes, and equipment, bringing together several hundred delegates from over 20 countries to create a grand knowledge-sharing and networking opportunity

David Marit, minister - Agriculture in Canada’s Saskatchewan, province actively participated in the Conclave along with his delegation. In addition, there were many consular corps from different countries with which India trades.

India Pulses and Grains Association (IPGA) and IBRAFE, Brazil signed an MOU at the sixth edition of the Pulses Conclave that will establish cooperative actions to contribute to the food security of both countries through actions that foster the development of international trade of pulses between India and Brazil. The said MOU emphasizes market intelligence, food security, quality standards, trade promotion, technology transfer, incentives to investments. IPGA and IBRAFE shall work towards promoting Pigeon Peas (TUR / ARHAR) and Black Matpe (URAD) and any other pulse of mutual interest including research in pre-harvest and post-harvest activities.

TPC 2023 attracted stakeholders across the entire value chain, including large Processors, branded Players, trading houses, trade Intermediaries Exporters, Importers, as well as service providers like Indenters, Warehousing Companies, Custom House Agents, Shipping Companies, and so on. We believe, value-added products from Pulses have an exponential growth potential that can be harnessed in India, and it will go a long way to deliver twin benefits of augmenting farmers’ income and advancing nutrition security. Over 600 delegates across countries are participating.

In addition to being the staple food for many, Pulses find application in the food processing industry in making soups, sauces, bakery products, meals, snacks, and confectionery products for health-conscious consumers. Healthy, ready-to-eat, plant-based, gluten-free snack foods are becoming increasingly popular with consumers in the country. An important subject for discussion at the Conclave was plant-based food products from pulses, as it is an emerging sector having the potential to grow exponentially.

TPC 2023 is the 6th edition of the unique biennial event, and is themed ‘Sustainability of Pulses Sector’ as its major focus is to tackle the adverse effects of climate change on pulses and grains production. TPC 2023 endeavors to foster healthy relations among Indian market participants and between India and all associates overseas.