A thriving crop of Hallmark XT lentils in Victoria’s Wimmera district which is on track for harvest in late November or December. Photo: Crop Smart

AUSTRALIA exported 57,550 tonnes chickpeas and 119,440t of lentils in August, according to the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

The chickpea figure was up 55 per cent from the July total of 36,949t to reflect a surge in sales to Pakistan, Bangladesh and the United Arab Emirates, which took 33,357t, 9620t and 7376t respectively.

Lentil exports jumped 92pc from the July figure to reflect the impact of India’s reduced tariff and the resumption of a volume bulk trade to what has historically been Australia’s largest pulse market.

India in late July announced the dropping of tariff on lentil imports, which has cut the basic customs duty of 10pc to zero, and a cess, or duty to fund agricultural infrastructure development, which has dropped to 10pc from 20pc.

Canada is the world’s largest lentil grower and exporter, and drought has reduced its surplus considerably.

Ahead of the anticipated tariff cut, Australian exporters had accumulated lentils ready to ship, and the first bulk cargo to India since December was loading by late July and bound for the port of Tuticorin.

India reduced its tariff in two windows on Australian and Canadian lentils in the second half of 2020, and Australian shippers are hopeful the current easing in tariff stays in place long enough to see some new-crop exported.

Table 1: Australian June, July and August 2021 chickpea exports. Source: ABS

Table 2: Australian June, July and August 2021 lentil exports. Source: ABS

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