A thriving crop of chickpeas about to enter the flowering phase on the Western Downs of southern Queensland. Photo: Jake Hamilton
AUSTRALIA exported tonnes of 63,450 tonnes of chickpeas and 81,010t of lentils in June, according to the latest export data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
On chickpeas, the June figure is up 19 per cent from the May total of 53,477t, and the lentil figure is up 27pc from the 63,684t shipped in May.
Pakistan was the biggest chickpea market by far, taking 72pc of the June exports, with the United Arab Emirates taking 7700t and Nepal 4288t.
In the lentil market, Bangladesh on 27,165t followed by Sri Lanka on 17,686t and Egypt on 13,151t were the biggest markets.
The Indian Government’s announcement late last month on its dropping of the lentil tariff to 10pc from 30pc previously is expected to fuel a jump in exports to India from this month onward.
| CHICKPEAS | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Tonnes |
| Bangladesh | 133529 | 31577 | 11567 | 2744 | 2335 | 850 | 182601 |
| Belgium | 72 | 0 | 119 | 73 | 0 | 0 | 264 |
| Canada | 254 | 467 | 852 | 773 | 741 | 992 | 4079 |
| Egypt | 99 | 0 | 230 | 126 | 129 | 0 | 584 |
| Fiji | 0 | 24 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 48 |
| Germany | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
| Greece | 0 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 72 |
| India | 243 | 0 | 0 | 268 | 1654 | 1345 | 3510 |
| Israel | 0 | 0 | 24 | 0 | 24 | 48 | 96 |
| Italy | 48 | 96 | 72 | 0 | 24 | 96 | 336 |
| Japan | 0 | 0 | 80 | 24 | 0 | 22 | 126 |
| Jordan | 96 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 96 |
| Kuwait | 96 | 0 | 43 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 139 |
| Lebanon | 0 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
| Malaysia | 189 | 338 | 384 | 168 | 72 | 24 | 1175 |
| Mauritius | 169 | 337 | 312 | 288 | 169 | 73 | 1348 |
| Nepal | 3862 | 4090 | 2125 | 2528 | 2162 | 4288 | 19055 |
| Netherlands | 0 | 0 | 0 | 72 | 0 | 0 | 72 |
| New Zealand | 27 | 24 | 49 | 96 | 16 | 118 | 330 |
| Pakistan | 29778 | 37919 | 53881 | 39979 | 39106 | 45997 | 246659 |
| Qatar | 71 | 120 | 47 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 238 |
| Romania | 0 | 48 | 24 | 48 | 0 | 0 | 120 |
| Saudi Arabia | 416 | 988 | 752 | 795 | 1073 | 442 | 4467 |
| Singapore | 144 | 72 | 122 | 48 | 24 | 74 | 484 |
| South Africa | 168 | 96 | 290 | 72 | 71 | 23 | 720 |
| South Korea | 0 | 24 | 70 | 24 | 24 | 0 | 142 |
| Spain | 0 | 0 | 48 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 72 |
| Sri Lanka | 365 | 123 | 515 | 174 | 473 | 298 | 1948 |
| Thailand | 27 | 2 | 5 | 23 | 25 | 32 | 114 |
| Turkey | 246 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 0 | 270 |
| UAE | 7360 | 4219 | 5798 | 5186 | 4510 | 7700 | 34773 |
| UK | 1611 | 2550 | 1378 | 1230 | 645 | 912 | 8326 |
| USA | 146 | 73 | 311 | 264 | 176 | 117 | 1085 |
| Yemen | 92 | 0 | 48 | 48 | 0 | 0 | 188 |
| TOTAL | 179108 | 83234 | 79195 | 55121 | 53477 | 63450 | 513586 |
Table 1: Australian chickpea exports for January to June 2021. Source: ABS
| LENTILS | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Tonnes |
| Bangladesh | 32247 | 56073 | 48495 | 29201 | 29785 | 27165 | 222967 |
| Belgium | 101 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 101 |
| Egypt | 31281 | 8782 | 12291 | 0 | 0 | 13151 | 65505 |
| Fiji | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 22 |
| India | 2255 | 0 | 128 | 250 | 150 | 7557 | 10341 |
| Indonesia | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 8 |
| Japan | 0 | 0 | 31 | 0 | 24 | 0 | 55 |
| Lebanon | 48 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 48 |
| Malaysia | 172 | 196 | 44 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 412 |
| Mauritius | 24 | 118 | 69 | 0 | 244 | 50 | 505 |
| Nepal | 2810 | 2633 | 1173 | 881 | 2122 | 2819 | 12439 |
| New Zealand | 37 | 0 | 46 | 0 | 8 | 55 | 147 |
| Pakistan | 7817 | 10143 | 10532 | 6459 | 7818 | 4864 | 47633 |
| Saudi Arabia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 300 | 0 | 0 | 300 |
| Singapore | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| South Africa | 0 | 200 | 125 | 47 | 165 | 0 | 537 |
| South Korea | 0 | 0 | 72 | 0 | 0 | 48 | 120 |
| Sri Lanka | 10975 | 11885 | 14485 | 9418 | 22923 | 17686 | 87372 |
| Sweden | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| Turkey | 2763 | 22092 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24855 |
| UAE | 5652 | 2528 | 4734 | 663 | 445 | 7585 | 21608 |
| TOTAL | 96196 | 114650 | 92227 | 47221 | 63684 | 81010 | 494988 |
Table 2: Australian lentil exports for January to June 2021. Source: ABS
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