Australia: Crops establish in mixed conditions

Australia’s chickpea, faba bean, and lentil crops have all established in conditions that vary from good to ideal in the northern regions to average at best in the south.

Nearly all regions will need rain over the next fortnight to keep prospects for average or better yields in sight.

South Australian lentil growers and New South Wales and Queensland chickpea growers have kicked off the season’s forward selling in markets which are trading sideways.

All prices quoted are in Australian dollars per tonne unless stated otherwise.

Modest amounts of containerised chickpeas are being shipped as the bulk program goes into hibernation ahead of new-crop shipments starting in October.

Prices have changed little from last month, with prompt deliveries to up-country packers trading at around $800/t, and $700/t for new-crop delivered November-December.

Central Qld chickpeas are the most advanced of any Australian pulse crop, and JB Ag Services agronomist Belinda Chase said earliest crops are setting pods, and many crops are flowering.

“They should be hitting average yields, and the end of September should see the first ones harvested,” Ms Chase said.

Rain in March prompted many CQ growers to plant wheat ahead of chickpeas, and Ms Chase said wheat would therefore be harvested ahead of chickpeas.

That means new-crop CQ exports are not expected before October, while southern Qld’s should start in November.

In southern Qld and northern NSW, chickpeas were planted mostly last moment, and into good subsoil moisture.

In the NSW-Qld border region, Goondiwindi-based MCA agronomist Paul Gardoll said chickpeas were “trekking along pretty well”.

“Some stuff was sown late and dried out, and everyone would be happy with 25-40mm,” Mr Gardoll said.

“The crop’s got good potential; we’ve just got to get a top-up rain soon.”

Egypt’s demand for bulk and containerised faba beans has fallen away on ample stocks, but Australian prices have held ground to reflect limited offerings.

Prompt delivered port prices are around $620-$630/t, unchanged from last month, to fill the last of the 2024-25 cargoes heading for Egypt, while up-country container packers are paying around $550/t.

Southern growers are yet to start selling new crop, with production prospects still uncertain in many parts of Vic and SA.

A few growers in NSW and Qld have forward sold small amounts of faba beans, but have generally prioritised forward selling of chickpeas, which occupy a much bigger northern area than faba beans.

While plenty of northern crops are flourishing and knee high, most in Vic and SA are only up to the three or four-node stage due to their germination in winter rather than spring.

“New-crop conditions are improving in Vic and SA with more regular rains while the crops aren’t consuming much moisture,” Agri-Oz Exports managing director Francois Darcas said.

“There’s still a long way to go, and we will need a very kind spring to get to decent yields.”

Drought demand from those needing to feed sheep and beef and dairy cattle has dropped as confidence builds in the ability of pastures to regenerate sufficiently for grazing come September.

That leaves export as the only avenue, and while some growers have a few hundred tonnes left to sell, most have sold their current-crop stocks surplus to their own stockfeed requirements.

Lentil exports have contracted to container-based trade as destinations look out for Northern Hemisphere new crop.

“Everyone’s looking at Canada,” ETG Horsham-based pulse trader Todd Krahe said.

Canadian growers are said to be far from certain about their lentil yields, and their caution has flowed to exporters, who are reticent to short themselves on cargoes.

Ahead of the Canadian harvest, mostly in August-September, importers are hopeful of softer prices.

“We’re trading fairly well sideways,” Mr Krahe said of the Australian market.

Nipper-type lentils delivered up-country packer are changing hands at around $770/t, with Jumbo types for Sri Lanka at $820/t.

SA has a record lentil area planted which could lead to a record crop if everything goes right between now and harvest.

“Showers are coming through every couple of days, and things are okay at the moment, but if you dig…there’s not a lot of moisture.”

In SA, growers on the Eyre and Yorke peninsula have started to forward sell at around $740-$750/t delivered port as their seasons consolidate.

“We’re seeing a little bit of grower selling.”

Elders Murray Bridge-based agronomist Charlie Bensen said EP and YP lentil crops were getting the best of the SA season.

“I’d pretty well say that every single region in South Australia entered into 2025 with no subsoil moisture.”

Some areas adjacent to the coast on both peninsulas got off to an earlier start than the bulk of the SA and Vic lentil crops, which germinated on early June rain.

“Those lentils are at the early branching stage…and people are ramping up a few trace elements to get them pumping along.”

South of Kadina on YP, crops are also looking promising.

“They’ve managed to jag a few rains in past two or three weeks and it’s looking pretty solid around there now.”

Northern parts of SA’s lentil-growing areas had some much-needed rain in the 24 hours to 9am today; registrations include: Buckleboo 35mm; Kimba and Minnipa 22mm; Kyancutta 19mm, and Wirrabara 30mm.

“In the Murray-Mallee, it’s a completely different kettle of fish.”

Mr Bensen said crops north of the Dukes Highway were suffering the effects of wind damage and precious little rain.

“North of the highway, they really do need rain in the next 10-14 days; they’ve been battered by wind event after wind event.”

Lentils have generally been sown into better soils and more protected paddocks.

“Lentils are pretty tough, and they’re hanging in there quite well.

“If we do get a half-decent spring into mid to late September, there’ll be a good crop.”

Mr Bensen said SA lentils crops, bar those that got an early start on the peninsulas, are generally four to six weeks behind due to the break arriving in June, rather than April as is ideal.

This will push the bulk of the crop into a September rather than August flowering, and will therefore minimise exposure to frost damage.

Tags: crop, chickpea, lentil, faba bean, Australia, exports, prices