Pulses

GVP $1.4 billion est. Up 263% year-on-year.
Pulse production increased by 331% to record 1.9 million tonnes
Pulse prices remained high over 2024-25, and exports reached record levels due to strong demand from India

New South Wales pulses enjoyed a record year in terms of both production and trade. Favourable growing conditions and increased trade demand after the suspension of India’s tariff on Australian chickpeas led to increased planting and harvesting over 2024-25. Pulse prices experienced high levels driven by the strong demand of key markets such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and the United Arab Emirates. The outlook of pulses is mixed with the forecast of another large NSW chickpea crop in 2025-26 being offset by sharply increased Indian production, which has begun to impact demand and prices. GVP is estimated at a record $1.4 billion, more than $500 million higher than the previous record set in 2016-17.

Production

NSW pulse production

Chickpeas
Faba beans
Lupins
Field peas
Lentils
Pulses share of winter cropping area (RHS)

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The total area sown to pulses in NSW in 2024-25 increased by an estimated 154% year-on-year to total 915,000 hectares and resulted in total pulse production rising 331% to 1,913,000 tonnes.³

The area of chickpea grown in NSW increased in 2024-25 due to a combination of higher pulse prices prior to planting and favourable weather conditions. The higher pulse prices were largely driven by the removal of India’s long-standing tariffs on Australian chickpeas until March 31, 2025.⁹⁸ India is the biggest consumer and producer of chickpeas in the world, but farmers there have delivered one of the lowest crops in five years due to bad weather. To secure supply, the Indian government suspended tariffs on imports in May 2024, which caused prices to surge. This resulted in the largest chickpea production on record at 1.28 million tonnes. An excellent start to the winter cropping season in Northern NSW has also seen an increase in state average yield of chickpeas to 2.2t/ha, the highest on record and well above the 10-year average.³

Faba bean production was up 142% year-on-year to 400,000 tonnes, a function of increased area planted and near record yields during the growing season.³ In the case of lentils, production increased to a record 43,000 tonnes, nearly 27,000 tonnes more than the record crop of 2021-22. Lupin production also doubled to 125,000 tonnes due to a 100% increase in the crop area sown and marginal improvements in state average yield.³

Price

Pulse prices in 2024-25 continued to surge after large increases in June 2024. These price increases were largely due to India suspending long-standing tariffs on Australian chickpeas. Upon news of the tariff suspension chickpea prices rose by more than $100/t in some areas to levels not seen since 2019.⁷⁴ Prices remained high for all of 2024-25, despite the partial reintroduction of a 10% tariff on Australian chickpeas at the end of March 2025.

Faba beans, lupins and field peas all experienced strong growth in prices in 2024-25 of around 30%7. Rising prices saw a decrease in the share of domestic consumption of pulses, with national domestic consumption of faba beans, lupins and fields peas estimated to have fallen to below 75% in 2024-25 from 87% in 2023-24.³¹⁵⁵

Currency pairs between Australia and its major pulse trading partners have all remained relatively stable over 2024-25.¹⁴⁷ This has provided stable conditions for prices to be demand driven, rather than influenced by volatility in exchange rates.

Pulse prices

Lupins
Field Peas
Chickpeas
Faba Beans

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Trade

NSW exports of pulses totalled $843 million in 2024-25, a 417% increase over the previous year, driven by an increase in both the volume and unit price of exports.¹⁵⁵ Chickpeas remained the dominant pulse export from NSW, accounting for approximately 86% of total NSW pulse exports by value. India returned as the principal market for chickpeas, with the export value rising an extraordinary 662% year-on years 13 million, to $574 million in 2024-25. This increase is driven by the removal of the India’s long-standing tariffs due to unfavourable growing conditions in India.

Demand for pulses, particularly chickpeas, tends to spike in conjunction with international festival dates – the most significant of these is Ramadan. The dates of Ramadan depend on the phases of the moon and thus vary, generally moving earlier by 10-12 days each year.¹⁴⁶ In regions where Ramadan is observed, such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, the UAE and India, chickpea demand tends to increase approximately six weeks before Ramadan. Exports of chickpeas peaked in December 2024 (2 months before Ramadan), with the month accounting for nearly 50% of total pulse exports for 2024-25.

NSW monthly pulse exports

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Source: SP Global (2025)

Next year’s Ramadan is scheduled to occur earlier in the year in February. This will be earlier than the typical harvest period for pulses grown in India and Pakistan. With next year’s crop unlikely to be harvested in time for the biggest period of demand, Australian suppliers will be well placed to meet any shortfalls experienced during Ramadan.

In March 2025, India partially reintroduced tariffs on chickpeas at 10%. While not as restrictive as previous tariffs levels, the policy change has led to reduced trade activity between Australia and India. With Australian traders now shifting focus back towards Pakistan, Bangladesh and UAE.¹⁴⁵

Tariffs introduced by the US government have not had a significant direct effect on Australian pulses with very limited trade of pulses occurring between Australia and the United States over past years.

Outlook

The outlook for pulses is mixed, particularly for the mainstay pulse crop of chickpeas. On the production front, ABARES is forecasting the 2025-26 crop to be well above the NSW 10-year average and similar to last year. Higher prices and the temporary renewed trade interest from India incentivised the highest NSW pulse planting area as a percentage share of total winter crop on record. On the demand side, the partial reintroduction of India’s 10% (previously as high as 66%) id little to restrict plantings of chickpeas, with ABARES forecasting similar plantings to last year. There are reports that India’s chickpea crop is projected to recover to exceed 10 million tonnes in 2025/26. As a result import demand from India has waned, with prices at the time of writing having declined by as much as one third compared to the opening prices of 2024-25.¹⁰³ As a result, NSW forecast large chickpea crop may struggle to find an immediate market at harvest.¹⁵⁰

Whilst the forecast area planted is set to remain relatively steady for chickpeas and faba beans, there has been a slight contraction of areas planted for peas, lupins and lentils. Conditions in southern NSW remain extremely dry, with much of the 2025-26 winter crop having been dry sown.