Pulse prices move on sowing data and import policy long before they move on harvest. A short guide for buyers planning cover.
Pulse markets are among the more volatile things we trade, and the volatility usually arrives well before the harvest does.
Sowing data leads price
Area-sown figures published during the season are the earliest meaningful signal. A significant swing in area under pigeon pea or chickpea shows up in forward prices long before anyone knows the yield.
Policy is a bigger variable than weather
Import duties and stock limits can move a pulse market faster than a poor monsoon. These are policy decisions and they are not always signalled far in advance.
Practical approach for buyers
If you have steady year-round requirement, splitting cover across the season generally beats trying to time a bottom. If you have a fixed retail price to defend, contract forward and accept you may leave something on the table.
We are happy to talk through where a particular pulse sits in its cycle before you commit — ask us.