Yellow pea prices in India have risen by more than 10% after shipments from Russia stopped for two months amid attacks on Black Sea ports, while disruptions are also threatening supplies of sunflower oil, importers and industry representatives said.
Wholesale prices of yellow peas have increased to about ₹46 per kg from nearly ₹40 per kg over the past two months. Russia is the world’s largest producer of yellow peas, according to Bimal Kothari, president of the Indian Pulses and Grains Association (IPGA). He said India had not received shipments from Russia during the period.
The disruption has affected a key import route for pulses used by households and food businesses. With Russian supplies squeezed, Canada, the second-largest producer of yellow peas, has raised its prices, according to the report. Yellow peas continue to be the cheapest pulse available in India, Kothari said, limiting the immediate increase in domestic prices despite lower import volumes and higher international prices.
Russia has moved grain export activity towards ports in the northern Baltic Sea, but importers said wheat shipments are being prioritised there, leaving limited space for yellow pea cargo. Satish Upadhay, secretary of the IPGA, said the association had requested Russian authorities to allow some yellow pea shipments from the northern ports.
The price movement shows how a disruption at overseas ports can quickly affect Indian wholesale markets even when cargo is not directly routed through domestic infrastructure. Importers depend on the availability of vessels, export-port capacity and competing cargo priorities before shipments can enter India’s supply chain.
The report also points to pressure on sunflower oil supplies from Russia and Ukraine. Sandeep Bajoria, president of the International Sunflower Oil Association, said logistics from Black Sea ports had become highly disrupted. A shipment of 20,000 tonnes bound for India was cancelled, while exports from the region had fallen to about 50% of normal levels, he said.
Longer shipping schedules are expected to put further pressure on sunflower oil prices in the coming weeks, according to Bajoria. The disruption could make sunflower oil more expensive relative to other cooking oils, although the report does not specify the likely size of any increase.
Kothari said yellow pea prices could fall by ₹4-5 per kg if Russian imports return to normal. For now, importers are seeking alternative access through northern Russian ports while shipments of pulses and edible oils remain exposed to the continuing disruption in the Black Sea region.
