Source: Ukragroconsult (Ukraine)
According to a report from the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES), Australia achieved a historic harvest of 2.267 million tons of chickpeas during the marketing year 2024/25. This surpasses the previous forecast by 380,000 tons, as noted in the December report. The surge in production is credited to an increase in the area planted in response to favorable pricing and exceptional harvests in New South Wales and Queensland, where the planting and growing conditions were ideal.
In Queensland, the output of chickpeas soared by 239% compared to the previous year, reaching 950,000 tons, making it the second-highest yield recorded. The average yields in this region exceeded the decadal average by 74%. The chickpea planting area in Queensland expanded by 91% to 420,000 hectares, buoyed by optimal weather conditions and elevated market prices.
In New South Wales, the chickpea crop was estimated to yield 1.28 million tons from an area of 580,000 hectares. Conversely, the nation’s lentil production experienced a decline of 26%, dropping from 1.567 million tons in 2023/24 to 1.157 million tons, primarily due to drought conditions in the southern regions. Nevertheless, ABARES revised its December forecast upward by an additional 41,000 tons as a result of some improvements in production metrics.
In South Australia, lentil yields fell by 27% year-on-year but still remained 36% above the ten-year average, totaling 555,000 tons. Similarly, Victoria faced a 31% reduction in lentil production, bringing the total to 535,000 tons; however, this figure is still 58% above the ten-year average due to a 13% increase in the area planted.
Overall, ABARES has adjusted its forecast for the five primary legume crops in Australia, raising it from 4.682 million tons in December to 5.125 million tons. Notably, chickpea cultivation was the sole crop to see any area adjustment since the previous quarter, with an addition of 50,000 hectares. The total area dedicated to chickpeas in the 2024/25 season reached 1.039 million hectares, just shy of the record levels seen in the marketing years 2016/17 and 2017/18.