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India Boosts Kabuli Duty

NEW DELHI - Mar 20/18 - SNS -- The Indian government raised the import duty on kabuli chickpeas to 60% effective immediately.

This brings all import duties for all classes of chickpeas to 60%, potentially limiting interest in buying small caliber kabuli from Russia and other Black Sea origins.

The change is not expected to have a affect prospective demand for large caliber kabuli chickpeas from Mexico.

Small caliber kabuli chickpeas are bought as a substitute for locally grown desi as well as direct sale to price sensitive consumers. Large caliber kabuli are bought for middle and upper middle class urban consumers and as planting seed. Those markets are less price sensitive and the annual volumes are minor, averaging around 2,100 metric tons (MT) per year.

Annual imports of small caliber kabuli chickpeas from eastern European suppliers have already been declining.

They peaked at just over 207,000 MT in 2015. Between January and October of 2017, imports from those shippers totalled just 7,123 MT, down from 25,575 the previous year. In 2016, roughly 40,000 MT was shipped from eastern Europe to India in November and December.

It is unlikely there was any increase in shipping volumes, despite efforts by some importers to accumulate stocks in anticipation of the imposition of import duties on chickpeas.

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