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A year after record deluges damaged the lentil crops in Canada, vegetarians across India are getting sticker shock for legumes they eat at almost every meal.

Stockpiles in Canada, the world’s biggest exporter, are down by half from a year earlier, government data show. At the same time, shipments to India, the top buyer, are headed to an all-time high after a dry spell reduced its domestic output. That’s boosted prices for all kinds of similar crops, including chickpeas and dried beans.

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“We’re going to be sold out this year,” with supply remaining tight at least until the Canadian harvest starts in August, said Murad Al-Katib, chief executive officer of Regina, Saskatchewan-based AGT Food & Ingredients Inc., the largest processor and exporter of dried peas and lentils.

Demand is growing for the high-protein legumes known as pulses. General Mills Inc. and Kraft Foods Group Inc. are adding them to breakfast cereals, energy bars and salty snacks as health-conscious consumers seek products with no gluten or genetically modified ingredients. AGT is expanding operations as sales surge 40 per cent this year.