PULSE industry participants say warnings about a more virulent strain of ascochyta blight (AB) are unlikely to deter growers from planting chickpeas this season.
Kevin Moore, pulse pathologist with DPI NSW at Tamworth, said high chickpea prices, particularly in comparison to cereal values, would mean growers would be tempted to push pulse rotations to the limit.
“Because of the price of chickpeas there will be lots of them planted this year and that is going to mean chickpea on chickpea rotations.”
“It is a common practice in Central Queensland and in parts of the Darling Downs, and while it is our job as pathologists to tell growers of the risks, you can understand why they are thinking that way when they do their budgets,” Dr Moore said.
Ron Storey, Pulse Australia chairman, said he expected the chickpea plant to be comparable to last year.
While at face value this does not appear to point to a boom in the chickpea sector, Mr Story said the fact plantings had not dropped from last year’s record levels was remarkable.
“The consolidation of the chickpea plant even as farmers battle rotational constraints shows people are very keen to plant the crop.”
Mr Storey said the rapid rise of the chickpea industry in the past years was reflected with its ascent up the pecking order of Australia’s most valuable crops.
“Chickpeas are now the second most important grain crop in Australia after wheat in terms of gross value, worth more than established crops such as barley and canola last year,” he said.
“This has been driven by the high chickpea prices on offer over the past two years and farmers looking to take advantage of that with increased plantings.”
Director of pulse buyer Graintrend Sanjiv Dubey was even more upbeat on this season’s plantings, saying he expected another rise in acreage this year.
“We think plantings may go up around 10 per cent year on year, which will mean the total area planted will nudge a million hectares.”
However, Mr Dubey said he expected total production to come down.
“We are unlikely to see conditions as kind as last year when the total crop was close to two million tonnes.
“A figure of 1.6-1.7mt is more realistic at this stage – it depends on how the season unfolds.”
Dr Moore said last year’s example in terms of fungal disease management would mean growers were prepared to roll the dice with another plant of chickpeas.
“There was a heavy disease burden last year, not just ascochyta, but botrytis grey mould (BGM) and in general farmers managed to still generate their best returns for the year from chickpeas.”
Queensland growers are looking to a big plant of chickpeas according to AgForce grains section president Wayne Newton.
“Judging by seed orders, there is going to be a big plant once again, and given the difference in prices between chickpeas and those on offer for cereals you can see why.”
He said a rain event predicted to deliver useful rain over the weekend had fizzled on the Darling Downs, but added growers remained confident in that area.
“It was disappointing, but the subsoil moisture is there. All that is needed is a 25mm plus opening rain to allow planting and they are away.”
In Central Queensland, he said there had been good rain thus far in 2017, inspiring another big plant of the pulse.
Pete Johnson, Left Field Solutions, said the intentions of northern NSW and south-west Queensland producers were easy to sum up.
“Where they can plant chickpeas, they will.”
He said new crop values of $860/t dwarfed the prices on offer for other rotational options.
However, a range of factors mean Mr Johnson does not think the plant in the region will be as large as last year.
“To the west of the Newell Highway moisture levels are not fantastic, while there are also rotational constraints, people cannot find suitable paddocks.”
Mr Johnson also said seed availability could be an issue.
In the south, Jason Brand, Agriculture Victoria, said there were likely to be more plantings of chickpeas as growers moved out of low value cereal crops and lower value pulse lines such as field peas and faba beans.
“I think you might find some people growing chickpeas for the first time in years in most areas.
“They have seen the prices, they have seen how the crop has fared in their district last year and are prepared to trial them.
“The issue of risk changes according to the value of the crop, if chickpeas are worth four times as much as faba beans, then farmers are more willing to give them a go.”