News Capsule: Australia’s Chickpea and Lentil Exports Declined in January
06-Mar-2026 11:35 AM
News Capsule: Australia’s Chickpea and Lentil Exports Declined in January
★ According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australia exported 91,511 tonnes of chickpeas and 300,009 tonnes of lentils in January. Chickpea exports were about 85% lower than the 594,201 tonnes shipped in December, while lentil exports recorded a modest month-on-month decline of around 5%.
★ India remained the largest market for chickpeas with imports of 72,036 tonnes. Pakistan with 8,638 tonnes and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with 7,258 tonnes were the second and third-largest markets respectively.
★ Shipping disruptions in the Middle East due to the ongoing conflict between Iran and US-Israeli forces are expected to affect shipments to the UAE in March. Bahrain and some smaller European markets may also face disruptions if traffic through the Suez Canal is restricted.
★ For lentils, India was the largest buyer with 172,060 tonnes, followed by Bangladesh with 60,671 tonnes and the UAE with 39,524 tonnes. Since new-crop lentils became available for bulk shipment from November, exports to India have been rising and were about 24% higher than the December figure of 138,322 tonnes.