RECORD rainfall across the state has prevented most growers from harvesting but a select few have managed to bring in some of their chickpea crops.
In a season where chickpeas have faced challenges posed by Ascochyta-Mycosphaerella Blight and varieties of mould, a small minority of growers have tasted success come harvest.
One such grower was Joey Fleming, Ulah, Walgett, who managed to harvest most of his family's chickpea crops before the recent rains set in.
"We have been bloody lucky because I have recently driven around the state and seen just how many crops have been ruined by the rain," Mr Fleming said.
"It's truly heartbreaking to see so many good crops left standing in the paddock and while some of our stuff has had its problems, it's nothing compared to what a lot of people are going through.
"Hopefully the price of feed wheat can stay pretty strong to give people some hope of a half-decent outcome but I think the outcome of chickpeas for a lot of people might not be too good."
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Mr Fleming said the wet weather could cause a chickpea shortage in the coming months due to the amount of crops ruined by excessive rainfall.
"Northern NSW is one of the biggest growing areas for chickpeas in the world, so it is realistic to think that there will be a bit of a shortage," he said.
"I really feel for guys in places like Wee Waa and further south because this rain has really robbed them of a cracking harvest.
"I know even on the eastern side of Walgett they got a lot more rainfall than we did on the western side, so I guess it comes down to a matter of luck really as to how your season panned out."
North West agronomist Gary Littlejohns, AMPS, Tamworth, said not all hope was lost for late season chickpea crops, but it was "all dependent on rain".
"Those late crops are still green at this stage and while they are weathering well, they are still suffering a bit of water logging damage at the moment," Mr Littlejohns said.
"I haven't seen anything in this region that's even close to being harvestable and at this stage, it looks like it will be a pretty late harvest for them, probably as late as Christmas."
More rain is predicted for the state in the coming weeks after the Bureau of Meteorology declared a La Nina weather system last week.
"The last thing most growers need right now is more rain because from what I've seen recently, all of the cereals have shot and sprung," Mr Littlejohns said.
"There's a full profile there so the chickpeas don't need any more rain because all it is doing is making them vulnerable to a number of diseases and moulds.
"Those sorts of diseases making marketing your chickpeas really difficult once harvest is over.
"I know receivals aren't really taking lower grade canola at the moment, so hopefully the same thing doesn't happen for chickpeas."
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Billy Jupp
Billy is a Senior Livestock Journalist for the Queensland Country Life based in Toowoomba. He has worked for a variety of different ACM mastheads during the past five years including the Namoi Valley Independent, Northern Daily Leader and The Land.
Billy is a Senior Livestock Journalist for the Queensland Country Life based in Toowoomba. He has worked for a variety of different ACM mastheads during the past five years including the Namoi Valley Independent, Northern Daily Leader and The Land.
