Lentils (Pixabay)

Lentils exports by country totaled US$4.1 billion in 2024, growing by 38.2% for all shippers of lentils compared to five years earlier in 2020 when globally exported lentils were worth $2.94 billion.

Year over year, globally exported lentils shrank by -15.1% from $4.8 billion starting from 2023.

Lentils are used to cook many different dishes around the world. For example, lentil curry is an everyday staple eaten with both rice and roti throughout India. Lentils are often combined with rice due to its similar cooking time. In Europe as well as in North and South American countries, lentils commonly enrich soups and salads.

The 5 biggest exporters of lentils are Canada, Australia, Türkiye, United States of America, and India. Combined, that quintet of lentils suppliers sold 88.1% of the overall value of the world’s exported lentils. Such a high percentage indicates an intensely concentrated cohort of lentils exporting nations.

Among continents, international suppliers located in North American countries sold the highest dollar worth of exported lentils during 2024 with shipments valued at $1.93 billion or 47.5% of the overall total. In second place were exporters in Asia at 24.3% while another 21.5% of worldwide shipments of lentils originated from Oceania (mostly Australia).

Smaller percentages came from exporters in Europe (6.4%) and Latin America (0.2%) excluding Mexico, trailed by sellers in Africa (0.1%).

For research purposes, the 6-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix is 071340 for dried and shelled lentils.

Below are the 15 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of lentils during 2024.

1. Canada: US$1.6 billion (39.9% of total lentils exports)
2. Australia: $875.6 million (21.5%)
3. Türkiye: $626.6 million (15.4%)
4. United States: $307.4 million (7.6%)
5. India: $151.1 million (3.7%)
6. Russia: $127.8 million (3.1%)
7. Kazakhstan: $118.9 million (2.9%)
8. United Arab Emirates: $57.4 million (1.4%)
9. Belgium: $26.4 million (0.6%)
10. Netherlands: $22.6 million (0.6%)
11. Germany: $12.6 million (0.3%)
12. Italy: $12.3 million (0.3%)
13. Bahrain: $9.4 million (0.2%)
14. Ukraine: $9.1 million (0.2%)
15. France: $8.6 million (0.2%)

Countries Benefiting from Best Trade Surpluses for Lentils

The following countries posted the highest positive net exports for lentils during 2024. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports. Thus, the statistics below present the surplus between the value of each country’s exported lentils and its import purchases for that same commodity.

1. Canada: US$1.5 billion (net export surplus down -3.8% since 2023)
2. Australia: $874 million (down -31.4%)
3. United States: $221.7 million (up 21.6%)
4. Türkiye: $166.8 million (reversing a -$55.7 million deficit)
5. Russia: $127.2 million (down -43.8%)
6. Kazakhstan: $116.8 million (up 45%)
7. Ukraine: $8.6 million (up 305.2%)
8. Myanmar: $5.6 million (up 410.1%)
9. Argentina: $2.9 million (reversing a -$7.8 million deficit)
10. Malawi: $809,000 (reversing a -$4,000 deficit)
11. Sierra Leone: $435,000 (up 339.4%)
12. Tanzania: $40,000 (down -98.8%)
13. Belarus: $26,000 (down -70.1%)
14. Ghana: $3,000 (reversing a -$26,000 deficit)
15. Tunisia: $2,000 (reversing a -$3.24 million deficit)

World-leading supplier Canada generated the highest surplus in the international trade of lentils. In turn, this positive cashflow confirms Canada’s strong competitive advantage for this specific product category.

Countries Facing Largest Trade Deficits from Lentils

The following countries posted the highest negative net exports for lentils during 2024. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports. Thus, the statistics below present the deficit between the value of each country’s imported lentils purchases and its exports for that same commodity.

1. India: -US$672.6 million (net export deficit down -39.7% since 2023)
2. Bangladesh: -$433.3 million (up 54.8%)
3. Iraq: -$214.2 million (up 27.2%)
4. United Arab Emirates: -$170.9 million (up 531.7%)
5. Algeria: -$132.4 million (down -27.9%)
6. Pakistan: -$130 million (up 51.8%)
7. Sri Lanka: -$124.3 million (down -14.8%)
8. Egypt: -$116 million (down -4%)
9. Colombia: -$105.9 million (up 13.9%)
10. Sudan: -$77.8 million (down -15%)
11. Saudi Arabia: -$67.4 million (up 2.7%)
12. Peru: -$66.1 million (down -0.8%)
13. Morocco: -$63.4 million (down -26.4%)
14. Mexico: -$55.3 million (up 43.4%)
15. Spain: -$51.5 million (down -23.6%)

Highly populated India and Bangladesh incurred the greatest deficits in the international trade of lentils. In turn, these negative cashflows highlight Indian and Bangladeshi competitive disadvantages for this specific product category but also signals opportunities for lentils-supplying countries that help satisfy the powerful consumer demand from both Asian countries.

Canada in the Lentils Business

• Agrocorp Processing Ltd. (Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan)
• Bonduelle Groupe (Ingersoll, Ontario)
• BroadGrain Commodities Inc. (Toronto, Ontario)
• Canpulse Foods Ltd. (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan)
• Cargill Limited (Winnipeg, Manitoba)
• ILTA Grain (Surrey, British Columbia)
• Marina Commodities Inc. (Mississauga, Ontario)
• Scoular Canada Ltd. (Calgary, Alberta)
• Terfloth (Montreal, Quebec)
• Viterra Inc. (Regina, Saskatchewan)