Toor Dal Buying Guide: Finish, Grades, Origins and Price Drivers

After reading this guide you should be able to write a toor dal specification that a mill can quote against, and understand why the price moves the way it does.

Toor (also called arhar, tur, red gram or pigeon pea) is the everyday dal of much of India and of Indian households abroad. It looks like a simple commodity. In practice, two shipments both labelled "toor dal" can differ a lot in size, finish, cleanliness and cooking quality.

Whole toor vs split toor dal

Whole toor is the pigeon pea with its seed coat on. It is traded mainly between producing countries and Indian dal mills. Most importers abroad buy the processed form.

Toor dal is the dehulled, split pea. The mill removes the husk and splits the seed into two halves (cotyledons). The yellow split halves are what consumers know as toor dal.

For a retail or food-service buyer, the questions are about the dal. For a miller abroad, the questions are about whole seed: origin, moisture, size, and expected dal recovery.

Polished, unpolished and oily dal

Finish is the first thing to fix in your order, because it changes both look and shelf life.

• Unpolished (natural) dal: dehulled and split with no further treatment. Matt, slightly dusty appearance. Many health-conscious retail shoppers ask for it by name.
• Polished dal: given a final pass that makes the surface smooth and bright. Mills use water, a light oil, or a polishing machine. Polished dal looks more uniform on a shelf.
• Oily dal: coated with a thin film of edible oil. The coating reduces dust, helps with insect resistance in storage, and gives a glossy look. Some markets and Indian communities abroad specifically prefer it; others reject it.

If you order oily dal, state the type of oil you will accept and check that the coating meets food rules in your market. If you order unpolished, say so in the contract. "Standard" can mean polished at many mills.

How toor dal is graded

There is no single international grade for toor dal. Indian trade uses a mix of size description and cleanliness standards.

Size and appearance terms you will see on offers:

• Bold, medium, small (by grain size)
• Whole halves vs brokens (dal with a high share of pieces sells cheaper)
• Colour: bright yellow vs dull or patchy

Cleanliness and condition limits are the part that matters for import clearance. India's food regulator, FSSAI, sets minimum standards for arhar dal sold in India. These include:

These are floors for the Indian market. Export buyers usually write tighter numbers into the contract: lower moisture (for example 11–12%), lower foreign matter, a cap on brokens, and nil live insects. The commodity specifications used for Indian warehousing show how tight a "special" grade can be: around 10% moisture, 0.1% foreign matter and 2% brokens for top grade arhar split.

Your own import rules may differ from India's. Check the limits for aflatoxin and pesticide residues in your destination before you fix a spec.

Where India's toor comes from

Domestic crop

Toor is a kharif crop. It is sown with the monsoon in June and July and is a long-duration plant, so the main harvest comes in roughly December to March. Major growing states include Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh. Milling centres such as Akola, Latur, Jalna, Kalaburagi (Gulbarga) and Katni process much of it.

New-crop dal is generally available from the first quarter of the calendar year. Mills work through the year from stored whole seed.

Imports

India does not grow enough toor for its own demand, so it imports whole pigeon peas and mills them domestically. The main suppliers are:

• East Africa: Mozambique, Malawi and Tanzania are significant sources. India has government-to-government memoranda of understanding for imports of 200,000 tonnes a year from Mozambique and 50,000 tonnes a year from Malawi, running to the 2025-26 financial year.
• Myanmar: a long-standing source. "Lemon tur" is the common trade name for Myanmar pigeon peas. An MoU covers 100,000 tonnes of tur a year from Myanmar over the same period.

Imports of tur into India are currently in the "free" category, with no quantity restriction, under a policy that runs to 31 March 2024. African crops are harvested in the middle of the year, so their arrivals into Indian ports tend to come in the second half of the calendar year, before the Indian harvest.

For a buyer abroad, this matters because Indian toor dal is often milled from a blend of Indian and imported whole seed. If you need a specific origin, ask for it in writing and ask how the mill documents it.

What moves the price

We do not forecast prices, but the drivers are well known in the trade.

• Monsoon and sowing area. Toor is largely rain-fed. A weak or late monsoon, or a shift of farmers to soybean or cotton, tightens supply months before harvest.
• Harvest weather. Rain or frost at flowering and pod stage cuts yields and quality.
• Import arrivals. The size of the Mozambique, Malawi, Tanzania and Myanmar crops, and how fast they reach Indian ports, eases or tightens supply in the second half of the year.
• Government action. India manages pulse prices actively. In June 2023 the government imposed stock limits on tur and urad for wholesalers, retailers, mills and importers until 31 October 2023, and it can release buffer stocks or change import policy. Each move shifts domestic prices quickly.
• Minimum support price. The MSP announced for the kharif season sets a reference point for farmers.
• Currency and freight. The rupee rate, and freight from East Africa and Myanmar, affect landed cost of imports and so domestic prices.
• Festival demand. Demand rises in India ahead of major festivals, which can tighten mill stocks.

Because of this, offers for toor dal are usually valid for a short period. Expect a quote with a validity date and confirm quickly.

Packing and shipping

Common export packs are 25 kg and 50 kg PP or jute bags for wholesale, and 500 g, 1 kg, 2 kg and 5 kg consumer packs for retail or private label. Sea cargo is fumigated before loading, and a phytosanitary certificate accompanies the shipment. Ask for container lining or kraft paper if your route has large temperature swings, to reduce condensation damage.

Before you order

• Product: toor dal (split) or whole toor
• Finish: unpolished, polished or oily (state oil type)
• Size: bold, medium or small, and maximum brokens %
• Moisture max, foreign matter max, damaged and weevilled max
• Aflatoxin and pesticide residue limits for your market, and whether you want a lab report
• Origin preference, if any
• Pack size, bag type, labelling and marks
• Incoterm (FOB Nhava Sheva or CFR your port) and payment terms
• Pre-shipment sample approval

If you are sourcing toor dal, send us the finish, size, pack and destination port and we'll come back with a written quote and a sample on request.