Chana Imports from Australia May Fall Over 50%

10-Oct-2025 05:10 PM

Mumbai. The pace of Indian chickpea imports has slowed significantly, and domestic prices are not seeing much of a jump. Industry and trade analysts believe that Indian chickpea imports from Australia are unlikely to exceed 500,000 tons during the 2025-26 marketing season, compared to record highs in the 2024-25 season.

This year, a significant increase in chickpea sowing area and production is expected, and a strong inflow of new stock may begin in March-April. Furthermore, duty-free imports of yellow peas from abroad are continuing, which could discourage large chickpea imports.

According to a leading analysis, Indian importers are still purchasing chickpeas despite a 10 percent import duty on Indian chickpeas.

Last year, by this time, Indian importers had contracted approximately 800,000 tons of chickpea, while in the current year, not even 200,000 tons have been traded yet. Given this, it appears that India will not import more than 500,000 tons of chickpea from Australia this year.

According to another analyst, during 2024, Australia exported 100,000 tons of chickpea to India in October and 450,000-500,000 tons in November, but this year, this is not the case.

Meanwhile, data from the Australian Department of Agriculture shows that during the 2023-24 season, only approximately 400,000 tons of chickpea were exported from the country, which jumped nearly fivefold to around 200,000 tons in the 2024-25 marketing season (November-October). Of this, approximately 140,000 tons were exported to India alone.

According to analysts, the current scenario is not very favorable for the import of Indian chickpea. The export offer price for chickpeas is hovering between $470-480 per tonne, including shipping costs. Only when prices fall to $450-460 per tonne can Indian importers actively purchase chickpeas.