Mixed Trend in Chickpea and Lentil Exports from Australia

07-Nov-2025 04:45 PM

Brisbane: Australia, the world’s largest exporter of desi chickpeas and the second-largest exporter of lentils, has witnessed a mixed trend in shipments during the 2024–25 season due to fluctuations in production. Meanwhile, arrivals of the new 2025–26 pulse crops have already begun in the country.

According to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), exports of desi chickpeas from Australia during the 2024–25 marketing season up to September 2025 surged sharply to 1,981,783 tons—nearly five times higher than the 416,801 tons exported during the same period in the 2023–24 season. This remarkable rise was mainly driven by excellent chickpea production in Australia and strong demand from India, where the import duty on desi chickpeas was removed in May 2024.

ABS data shows that chickpea exports from Australia jumped from 14,903 tons in August 2025 to 57,996 tons in September 2025, marking nearly a fourfold increase. During September, Bangladesh was the top destination with 16,347 tons, followed by Pakistan with 13,836 tons, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with 2,736 tons. India, however, dropped out of the top three buyers as its imports have declined significantly.

As for lentils, exports from Australia, which had reached 1,380,225 tons during the 2023–24 marketing season, fell to 1,028,484 tons in 2024–25. The decline was mainly due to heavy crop losses caused by natural disasters during the 2024–25 season, reducing exportable supplies. Nevertheless, India’s demand remained strong. According to ABS data, lentil exports from Australia rose sharply to 77,672 tons in September 2025, compared to 17,295 tons in August. During September, India was the largest buyer with 35,070 tons, followed by Bangladesh with 16,522 tons and Sri Lanka with 15,689 tons. Fresh supplies of the new lentil crop have now begun arriving in Australia.