A potentially game-changing new market is emerging for Saskatchewan green lentils in India.
University of Saskatchewan Crop Development Centre breeder Bert Vandenberg said the new development represents a fundamental shift in green lentil markets and is here to stay.
Word is slowly leaking out to Indian consumers that dehulled green lentils can be used as a substitute or supplement to natively grown pulses in many traditional dishes.
“They are very malleable and they can fit into all these traditional recipes,” Vandenberg said. “But the big thing is they cook fast and they dehull easier.”
Read Also
Vegetable oil stocks are expected to tighten this year
Global vegetable oil stocks are forecast to tighten in the 2025-26 crop year, this should bode well for canola demand.
If the crop makes the inroads into India that the experts expect, it would represent a significant new market for green lentil growers.
Vandenberg believes it could replace 10 percent of India’s three million tonne per year toor dal, or split pigeon pea, market, which is 300,000 tonnes of potential new green lentil demand.
To put that in perspective, Canada exported 972,000 tonnes of red and green lentils in 2008-09.
Saskatchewan Pulse Growers hired a researcher from India’s Tamil Nadu Agricultural University to explore the potential of green lentils.
Gopalaswamy Pushpa presented her findings to growers gathered at Crop Production Week held last week in Saskatoon.
Her work shows that Saskatchewan green lentils are not only a good substitute for pigeon peas, which is India’s largest pulse crop, but also for black gram, green gram and chickpeas, the country’s other main pulses.
Pushpa asked 100 Indian families to cook 13 traditional dishes using green lentils as a substitute and rate them on a scale of one to nine with one being extremely disliked and nine being extremely liked. Ten of the 13 dishes received a rating of eight or higher.
“Based on our experiences, this lentil is most suitable for preparing any type of Indian traditional recipe,” Pushpa said.
Her research also showed that green lentils have higher protein, beta-carotene and selenium levels than the native pulses and cook in 40 to 50 percent less time.
Pushpa said there is strong interest in importing the crop to make up for this year’s pigeon pea shortfall in India and neighbouring countries and to keep food price inflation in check because green lentils are cheaper than pigeon peas.
The state of Tamil Nadu recently imported 40,000 tonnes of large green lentils and is distributing them through the public distribution system. That unexpected new market has helped boost Canadian green lentil prices to 39 cents per pound.
Pushpa urged the Saskatchewan lentil industry to implement a marketing plan to further popularize green lentil use in India.
Garth Patterson, executive director of Saskatchewan Pulse Growers, said the association has developed the Kanadal brand for Saskatchewan dehulled lentils marketed in India.
“If you want to join the Kanadal club, you need to be a processor that is splitting green lentils in Saskatchewan,” he said.
The association has set a target of selling 200,000 tonnes of split green lentils to India in addition to whole lentil exports. Vandenberg said the green lentil market in India is here to stay because pigeon pea acreage is under pressure from soybeans, which take four months to grow instead of seven to eight for pigeon peas.
