Indian Chickpea FOB Prices Grind Higher on Tight Supply Signal

Indian chickpea prices are edging higher, with FOB New Delhi offers up across all calibrated sizes and Rajkot quoting a notable premium, reflecting firm domestic mandi levels and tightening global supplies. Mexican origin remains steady to firm, keeping a floor under international values. India’s chickpea complex enters the rabi sowing window with wholesale mandi quotes in major markets holding in the mid-to-upper range for kabuli types, underpinned by a below-normal 2026 monsoon and cautious farmer selling. Recent Delhi mandi prices and pan-India kabuli benchmarks suggest limited downside, while elevated global offers, especially from Australia and Mexico, continue to cap arbitrage opportunities. With rabi sowing decisions imminent and soil moisture uneven across central and western India, nearby price risk remains skewed to the upside unless policy sales or imports ease the tightness.

Prices

FOB export indications for Indian chickpeas have firmed versus early October. In New Delhi, chickpeas dried count 42-44, 12 mm are quoted at 1.02 EUR/mt FOB, up from 1.00 EUR/mt a week earlier. Count 44-46, 11 mm stands at 0.99 EUR/mt FOB, while 46-48, 10 mm is at 0.96 EUR/mt FOB. Smaller sizes 58-60, 9 mm and 60-62, 8 mm are assessed at 0.95 EUR/mt and 0.90 EUR/mt FOB respectively, both slightly higher week-on-week.

Rajkot, a key western India hub, shows a stronger tone, with chickpeas dried quoted at 1.10 EUR/mt FOB on 6 October, up from 1.00 EUR/mt earlier in the month, signalling robust local demand and limited ready supply in Gujarat. Mexican origin chickpeas remain relatively firm as well, with Mexico City FOB indications for 42-44, 12 mm at 1.23 EUR/mt and 75-80, 8 mm at 0.90 EUR/mt, both modestly above late-September levels. Together, these benchmarks confirm a mild but broad-based uptrend in both Indian and Mexican export offers.

Supply & Demand

Domestic Indian chickpea markets are firming on constrained old-crop availability and steady consumption. Pan-India mandi data for kabuli chana show median wholesale prices around the mid-₹9,000/qtl range as of 9 October 2026, with some Delhi markets recently quoted above ₹7,300/qtl for desi chana and talk of possible moves towards ₹8,000/qtl into the festive season. These levels are consistent with the modest but persistent rise in FOB offers out of New Delhi and Rajkot.

On the global side, imported chickpeas remain comparatively expensive for Indian buyers, with Australian-origin offers reported higher in recent trade commentary, reducing the attractiveness of imports and effectively supporting local prices. Mexico continues to play a key role in the premium kabuli segment, and firmer Mexico City FOB indications help underpin global benchmarks. At the same time, no major demand destruction is visible in key importing regions, leaving the balance sheet relatively tight into the next rabi cycle.

Weather & Rabi Outlook (India)

The 2026 southwest monsoon has reportedly ended with an all-India rainfall deficit of roughly 12–13%, the worst in over a decade, raising concerns about soil moisture and reservoir levels ahead of rabi sowing. Central and western India—covering important chickpea belts like Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and parts of Rajasthan and Gujarat—are entering October with uneven moisture profiles, though cooler post-monsoon temperatures are seasonally favourable for sowing.

Government advisories are encouraging a higher pulse share in rabi plantings, including chickpeas, to cope with water constraints, which could support acreage if input and price signals remain attractive. However, any localised dryness during the next few weeks could delay sowing in marginal rainfed zones, limiting production recovery potential. For now, the combination of below-normal monsoon rainfall and firm pre-sowing price signals points to a cautiously supportive backdrop for chickpea values.

Fundamentals & Trading Outlook

• Basis & spreads: The premium of Rajkot FOB (1.10 EUR/mt) over New Delhi (0.96–1.02 EUR/mt across main grades) highlights relative tightness in western India, likely reflecting stronger export and coastal demand.
• Domestic floor: Current mandi benchmarks for kabuli chana above ₹9,000/qtl and resilient desi chana prices near or above ₹7,300/qtl in Delhi act as a strong floor for export parity, limiting downside in the near term.
• Global competitiveness: With imported chickpeas into India still priced relatively high, particularly from Australia, domestic supplies remain competitive and attractive, supporting utilisation of Indian origin in regional trade flows.

Practical guidance

• Indian exporters: Consider targeted forward sales from New Delhi in the higher-calibre 42-44 and 44-46 segments while Rajkot maintains its premium, but avoid overcommitting volumes ahead of clearer rabi sowing and early weather signals.
• Importers in South Asia/MENA: Use current offers from India as a reference floor and secure nearby coverage on price dips, given the risk of further firmness if monsoon-related supply concerns intensify.
• Domestic traders (India): Maintain a moderately long bias into the October–November festival window, but closely track any policy-driven buffer stock releases or import facilitation that could temporarily cap prices.

3‑Day Price Direction (Region: India)

• New Delhi FOB chickpeas: Mildly bullish bias over the next three days, with firm underlying mandi prices and tight nearby supply suggesting steady to slightly higher indications across all calibres.
• Rajkot FOB chickpeas: Sideways-to-firm bias, as recent sharp gains may invite some producer selling, but strong export and coastal demand should prevent significant softening.
• India domestic mandis (kabuli/desi mix): Largely steady to marginally higher trajectory expected, especially in northern and western markets where festive demand and moisture concerns remain supportive.