Branded pulses being launched by Adani Wilmar, Lakshmi Energy Foods

After Tata's it is now Adani Wilmar, Lakshmi Energy Foods which will be launching varieties of branded pulses/ dals on a pan India basis. Pulses are a rich source of protein and an integral part of an Indian meal. The sector is in the novice stage with a strong presence of regional players who are also on an expansion spree.

Pulsesconsumption in India is currently about 17.5 million tonne annually, of which, negligible quantity of pulsesare sold in branded form. Further,small quantity is sold by Kirana stores and modern trade as their in-store brands.

"We see big future in branding of all commodities . Just as we have witnessed consumption of edible oil in branded form, we anticipate a similar conversion from purchase of loose unbranded pulsesto branded form," said Adani Wilmar, MD, Pranav Adani.


The company will be launching the brand in north India,selling under the Jubilee brand name. Moong, Masoor, Arhar, Urad, Chana and Rajma pulses(including both whole and split variants) that cumulatively comprise over 80% of the market would be initially launched.

Eventually the company plan to extend the portfolio to include besan and other value added products. As per industry source Adani is planning to invest Rs 100 crore for the processing unit with a capacity to mill 600 tonnes per day at either Kolkata or Kanpur.

Similarly, leading basmati player from Punjab ,Lakshmi Overseas Industries Ltd will be investing Rs 50 crore to set up a pulse processing mill of 200 TPD at Khamanon near Ludhiana.

"India is the largest producer,consumer and importer of pulses. The regional players limit themselves to one or two types of pulsesin their portfolio leaving a huge scope for a national player to enter and revolutionize the way the industry works," said Lakshmi Overseas Industries Ltd, MD, Balbir Singh Uppal.

In December 2010, Tata Chemicals launched popular varieties of pulses- chana, toor, urad and moong (including whole green moong and green chilka) under the i-Shakti Dals.Working along with farmers the company targeted to increase production of pulsesin India and help bridge the existing gap between demand and supply of pulsesin the country.

"We are providing consumer un-polished pulseswith low moisture content ensuring speedy cooking and increased shelf life of 6 months," said Tata Chemicals, consumer products business, chief operating officer, Ashvini Hiran who added that the demand was good across tier 1 and tier 2 cities where sales were through modern trade channels and malls.

Established regional players charge Rs 6 to Rs 10 a kg as a premium. With no major value addition apart from cleaning and polishing (leather polishing or water based polishing) to bring the shine in the pulse, more investment is coming in the sector.

In northern India the major pulsesbrand were Rajdhani, Mangat Ram Dal Mills, in Eastern India Taj agro international, Daily were popular whereas Lakshmi, Angur and Rantio were popular varieties of Western India.

Nandi brand and Shree Gold brand of the Kaleesuwari Refinery Pvt Ltd were household name in South India. Central Indian pulse brand included Hasty Tasty, Swach and Mani.

Processing over 65 tpd pulses, Gujarat based Patel Chaturbhai Ranchhodbhai & Co, is the market leader in pigeon peas (tur dal/arhar dal) in the state selling under the brand name of Angur.

"We see an annual growth of 10% to 15% and are expanding our capacity," said the company's partner, Piyush Ratilal Patel.He added that the company was only focusing on selling pigeon peas and were not expanding the portfolio. The company is selling the branded pulse in retail outlets of Reliance, Big Bazaar, Star Bazaar, Dmart and others.