Rotterdam, The Netherlands: Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC) announced today the establishment of a new business unit focused on the global commercialisation of pulses. This move is part of the Group’s strategic growth plans to strengthen core merchandising activities and diversify into new business areas.
“Pulses have become increasingly important as a primary source of plant-based proteins and play a significant role in sustainable agriculture by improving soil health and reducing agricultural greenhouse gas emissions. The creation of this new business unit aligns perfectly with our strategy to meet evolving nutritional and sustainability expectations from customers, as reflected in the growing global production and demand,” said, Michael Gelchie, LDC’s Chief Executive Officer.
“Pulses offer geographic and operational synergies with LDC‘s existing activities and have the potential to significantly boost earnings by leveraging our robust research, trading, and risk management capabilities,” Michael Gelchie added.
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Pulses, which include over 100 varieties such as beans, peas, chickpeas, and lentils, are staple foods with rising global consumption, particularly in major importing markets like the Indian subcontinent, China, and the Middle East. Global production is projected to reach 98 million MT by 2032, with traded volumes expected to exceed 23 million MT to meet this growing demand, especially from key export markets such as Australia, Canada, and East Africa.
“Our new Pulses business unit will initially focus on yellow peas, chickpeas, red lentils, faba beans, and pigeon peas. We will build on LDC’s presence in key production and consumption markets, leveraging our established domestic trading capabilities in major producing regions like Australia and Canada, and our trading presence in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, which positions us well to serve these major consumption hubs,” said, Rubens Marques, Head of South & Southeast Asia, Louis Dreyfus Company.
The new global unit will be led by Saurabh Bhartia, who joins the Group as Head of Trading for Pulses.
