After record yields and prices last year, Breeza farmer Andrew Pursehouse almost doubled the cropping area for this year’s chickpeas, but at least a quarter of the crop is now at risk.

“The chickpeas that are in corn and sorghum stubble are good but the chickpeas in cotton country are very dry,” he said.

The farmer said in August and September last year, the plains received 200mm of rain but this year he has recorded only 21mm.

“I don’t think the chickpeas sown in cotton country will make it unless we get rain quick, and good rain,” he said.

“I think this is starting to impact all of the Liverpool Plains now, pretty badly. I don’t think are too many farms, unless you’re in Victoria, that are in good shape.”

In June, Mr Pursehouse said a lot of chickpeas were sown around the region this year because they had been so profitable in previous years, with a big market in India.

“Australia grows very good quality chick peas,” he said.

“They’re a legume, so they provide a lot of organic nitrogen to the soil. As well as being profitable, it’s actually very good for the soil.”

With harvesting to start in the first week of December, Mr Purshouse is hoping the conditions will take a turn for the better. Good rain would also benefit wheat and canola, and summer crops, which will soon be sown.

“Our wheat’s only just coming out so it would be great for that and it would fill the canola pods up too,” he said.

“It’s time to plant cotton and corn and sorghum and you need moisture for that.

“We’ve got the month of October to plant cotton. We’ll start planting [200 hectares of] corn next week and irrigated cotton the week after. We’ve got 500 hectares ready to go – long-fallow.”

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