Sharp Decline in Australian Lentil and Chickpea Exports in March
08-May-2026 08:26 PM
Brisbane. Data from the federal agency—the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)—reveals that Australia's pulse export performance in March 2026 was lackluster compared to February, with shipments of lentils and chickpeas witnessing a sharp decline. The primary reason for this downturn is the continued weak demand from India.
According to the Bureau, Australia exported 174,107 tonnes of lentils in February; however, this figure plummeted to just 85,003 tonnes in March. In March, the top three buyers of Australian lentils were Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal—with India notably absent from this list. During March, Australia exported 35,635 tonnes of lentils to Bangladesh, 25,223 tonnes to Sri Lanka, and 8,390 tonnes to Nepal.
Nevertheless, despite the weak performance in March, total lentil exports from Australia during the first half of the current marketing season—spanning from October 2025 to March 2026—rose to 1,039,446 tonnes. This figure represents a 45 percent increase over the shipments recorded during the corresponding period of the 2024-25 marketing season.
As for chickpeas, exports recorded a sharp decline on both a monthly and an annual basis. According to the ABS report, Australia achieved a robust export volume of 277,650 tonnes of chickpeas in February 2026; however, this figure tumbled to a mere 27,120 tonnes in March. In March, Pakistan emerged as the largest recipient, importing 7,488 tonnes of chickpeas, while India imported 6,979 tonnes and other nations imported 3,148 tonnes.
By March 2026, total chickpea exports from Australia during the current marketing season amounted to 1,361,914 tonnes—a figure that stands 26 percent lower than the shipments recorded during the same period of the 2024-25 season. It is understood that Australian producers are selling their stocks of chickpeas at a slow pace, anticipating higher prices in the near future. Australia is the world's leading exporter of chickpeas and the second-largest exporter of lentils.