A new report has found huge benefits flowing from public investment in chickpea research and development.
The report, prepared for Queensland's Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, found chickpea research programs in Queensland and New South Wales delivered about $16 worth of benefits for every $1 invested.
Agronomist Paul McIntosh from Pulse Australia, the peak industry body representing chickpea growers, said the development of new varieties had been huge for the industry.
"We've come a long way. It's a bit like shooting a spud gun compared to shooting a massive big howitzer," he said.
The report looked at Australia's chickpea industry between 2001 and 2018, a period of industry growth driven by new chickpea varieties.
New varieties with higher yields and greater fungus resistance delivered a major boost to the industry in Australia, the report found.
"The varieties that we've got these days are yielding so much better and are much easier to harvest," Mr McIntosh said.
"They've got better disease tolerance. The agronomy part is also a lot more under control these days."
Over the past 11 years the area of Australia planted with chickpea has grown by 40,000 hectares per year.
"The investment in the series of five chickpea breeding projects has been critical in facilitating growth in the chickpea industry in Australia over the past 16 years, particularly in QLD and northern NSW," the report read.
"During the investment period a number of improved chickpea varieties were released from the breeding program with high adoption levels.
"The area of chickpeas grown in Australia has been increasing over the past decade."
High prices were a hugely significant factor in the expansion of chickpea growing in Australia, Mr McIntosh said.
Of the $57 million invested in chickpea research by Queensland and NSW state governments, alongside the Grains Research and Development Corporation, there had been a return of $876 million, the report concluded.
While chickpeas delivered the greatest return on public investment of the projects examined in the report, each of the industries benefited from public investment.
For every $1 invested in mango there were $6.60 worth of industry improvements, and for every $1 invested in water use efficiency there were $4.70 worth of benefits.
Mango research focused on reducing under-skin browning in Honey Gold varieties, a problem affecting growers in far north Queensland and the Northern Territory.
"Implementation of project findings has reduced fruit downgrade in the wholesale market and increased grower returns," the report read.
"A reduction in [under-skin browning] has also saved pallet repacking costs and increased the efficiency of picking labour."
The report also looked at prawn farming and attempts to reduce environmental impacts by remediating and re-using wastewater.
For every $1 invested in such programs, there was a return of $2.40, the report concluded.
"This offers both positive environmental impacts and improved prawn farm biosecurity," it read.
"Improved farm biosecurity is particularly critical given the emergence of white spot disease in Queensland.
"Once adopted, research findings will generate benefits to the Australian prawn farming industry which is mainly located in Queensland."
