Australia: Lentil outlook brightens after SA, Vic rain

are flat markets for chickpeas and lentils. Both are now subject to tariffs in the major market of India, and demand from other destinations is modest at present. On faba beans, domestic demand for their inclusion in livestock rations is mopping up much of what is left in traders’ hands after a hectic export program. In its quarterly Australian crop report released June 3, ABARES forecast Australia’s new-crop chickpea production at 1.88 million tonnes, down from the record 2.27Mt harvested last season. Many growers in northern NSW and southern and central Qld have finished planting, and others are close to it in mostly ideal conditions. However, some parts of NSW’s outer north-west plains have been too wet to allow all intended area to be planted. Some growers will not finish planting chickpeas until the end of the month, and chickpeas planted in heavier country are only just starting to emerge. Table 1: Area and production estimates by state for 2024-25 and 2025-26. Source: ...