Australia: India’s tariff talk throttles sales

has held back harvest pressure from markets as growers with late crops worry about quality and timing, and growers remain underwhelmed by prices on offer. Chickpeas are trading at around $640/t delivered Brisbane for bulk export, up $40/t from prices quoted six weeks ago. In comparison to last harvest’s breakneck shipping pace, bulk exports are slow out of Brisbane, and appear to be relying on those who can load their own boats. “The Australian traders that lost a lot of money last year aren’t there this year,” one trader said. “The bulk guys are dominating the market.” While quality of new-crop desi chickpeas is good thanks to mostly favourable harvest weather, price uncertainty is rife, based on the expectation that the Indian Government will lift its tariff on chickpeas from 10 percent at present to 30pc this month. “The chickpea market is in a bit of a fluid state; people are waiting for India to put the import duties up,” Mandala Trading director Umang Bagaria said. “The ...