Chickpeas Outlook March 2026

Chickpea Market Outlook - March 2026

The chickpea (chana) market is expected to remain under pressure due to comfortable supply conditions created by both imports and higher domestic production.

During the period November to February, India imported approximately 3.5 lakh tonnes of chickpeas, largely from Australia. These imports have already added to the available supply in the domestic market ahead of the peak arrival season.

At the same time, India’s chickpea production for the current year is estimated at around 117.9 lakh tonnes, compared with 114.1 lakh tonnes in the previous year. The increase in production indicates improved availability compared to last season.

In the month of March as well, some importers are continuing to import chickpeas, as the current duty structure still allows imports to remain viable.

As of now, there has been no specific announcement from the government regarding further changes in the import policy for chickpeas up to March. However, considering the higher domestic crop arrivals, the possibility of an increase in import duty cannot be ruled out in order to support domestic prices.

Nevertheless, by the time any such policy change is considered, the market may already be facing excess supply due to the combined effect of imports and higher domestic production, which could continue to keep prices under pressure in the near term.

Currently, chickpea prices across most markets are trading below the Minimum Support Price (MSP). Given the comfortable supply situation arising from higher domestic production and earlier imports, prices may continue to remain below MSP and may struggle to reach MSP levels in the near term unless significant policy intervention or procurement takes place.