Australia Worried About Possible Tariff Hike on Chickpeas, Lentils

01-Dec-2025 09:38 PM

Brisbane. Although the Indian government has neither announced nor given any specific indication, there is strong speculation in the global market that import duties on Indian chickpea and lentils may be increased.

Currently, harvesting for both these pulses, the faba bean crop, is almost complete, but cool and humid weather in the southern region has slowed the lentil harvest.

Australian chickpea and lentil exporters are concerned about the tariff hike in India and are selling their stocks in limited quantities while closely monitoring the market.

The Australian market is also facing pressure from the supply of new goods. Farmers are also concerned about the quality of their late-sown crops, while they are forced to continue harvesting and selling their produce despite weak market prices. Producers are not showing much enthusiasm.

The price of Indian chickpeas in Australia has jumped by $40 compared to six weeks ago, reaching nearly $640 per tonne for Brisbane delivery. Compared to previous harvest seasons, bulk chickpea exports from the Brisbane port are slowing this year.

It appears that only those with their own ships or large vessels can ship chickpeas. Indeed, contracts for cargo sufficient to load onto large merchant vessels are not being finalized.

Australian traders, who suffered significant financial losses last year, are not venturing into the market this time. Container exports of chickpeas are negligible.

Demand for chickpeas in Muslim-majority countries for Ramadan is expected, which is expected to boost prices somewhat. However, adverse weather conditions may increase pressure on lentil prices due to poor grain quality.