The chickpeas harvest in Australia is currently underway, but progress has been temporarily disrupted due to recent rainfall. Between 26 October and 1 November, low-pressure troughs and storm systems brought showers and isolated thunderstorms to key chickpea-growing regions, including north-eastern New South Wales (NSW) and south-eastern and central Queensland (Qld). Weekly rainfall totals of 5 mm or more were common across much of eastern Australia, while some areas in SE Queensland and NE NSW recorded 50–100 mm, causing localized delays in harvesting operations.
Chickpeas crops are particularly sensitive to water logging, heavy storms, and hail during the flowering and pod-set stages. As such, heavy rainfall in short bursts may damage crops and reduce yields, potentially impacting Australia’s chickpeas production, which is estimated at more than 2 million metric tons.
The potential decline in Australian chickpeas output is likely to impact the Pakistani local chickpeas market. With a reduced supply from a major exporting country, local chickpeas prices may trend upward. However, market sentiment has recently shown some positive support, driven by India’s recent hike in import duty on yellow peas, which could limit competing supplies.
