Decline in Australian Chickpea Exports Continues

05-Jun-2026 01:35 PM

Brisbane. Australia's chickpea export performance continues to weaken. While export shipments remained steady during the October–September 2025 quarter of the current marketing season and did not see a sharp drop in January–February 2026, the pace of shipments slowed thereafter. According to a report by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Australia exported 24,756 tonnes of chickpeas in March 2026; this figure fell by approximately 10 percent to 22,317 tonnes in April.

The ABS report indicates that during the first seven months of the current marketing season (October 2025 to April 2026), Australia's chickpea exports dropped to 1,381,794 tonnes, down from 1,840,144 tonnes during the same period of the 2024–25 season.

In April 2026, the largest volumes of Australian chickpeas were exported to the United Arab Emirates (9,000 tonnes) and Pakistan (4,422 tonnes), while 2,436 tonnes were shipped to India. Indian buyers showed little interest in importing Australian chickpeas in April due to robust arrivals of the new domestic crop and softer prices.

Although Australia saw above-average chickpea production during the 2025–26 season and holds substantial exportable stocks, producers and stockists are unwilling to sell at lower prices.

Consequently, exporters face uncertainty regarding the availability of sufficient quantities for shipment and are exercising great caution when entering into contracts. Chickpea production in Australia is projected to decline by approximately 50 percent during the 2026–27 season.