South Australia had a good-quality lentil harvest, and contributed significantly to Oct-Jan exports of more than 500,000t. Pictured is a lentil bunker building at the start of harvest at Plains Grain, Mallala, in the Adelaide port zone. Photo: Plains Grain

AUSTRALIA exported 395,428 tonnes of chickpeas and 201,554t of lentils in January, according to the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Both figures are down, chickpeas by 45 percent and lentils by 20pc, from their December totals.

They are likely to drop further in February, as an early Ramadan diminishes buying interest from Bangladesh and Pakistan, and the expected return of Indian tariffs on both pulses quashes demand from the major market.

On chickpeas, India was the destination for 250,932t, or 63pc, of January-shipped chickpeas, with Pakistan on 72,786t and Bangladesh on 55,336t the other volume buyers.

On lentils, India was the destination for 99,806t, close to half the monthly total, with Bangladesh on 60,749t and Sri Lanka on 21,847t the second and third-biggest markets respectively.

Apart from a cargo or two out of Central Queensland, Australia’s bulk chickpea program appears to be over for the time being as terminals in Brisbane and Newcastle switch to sorghum and wheat.

The pace of lentil exports is also expected to slow, with close to half the national crop seen at 1.16 million tonnes (Mt) shipped from October to January.

On chickpeas, ABS Oct-Jan figures indicate 1.6Mt has been shipped out of a national crop estimated by ABARES at a record 2.27Mt.

Table 1: Australian chickpea exports for November and December 2024 and January 2025. Source: ABS

Table 2: Australian lentil exports for November and December 2024 and January 2025. Source: ABS

Grain Central: Get our free news straight to your inbox – Click here