Surprise at tariff

The Federal Government is shocked by its Indian counterpart’s decision to slap a 60 per cent tariff on chickpea imports.

The move comes while Australia is negotiating a free-trade agreement with India.

‘‘We’re obviously disappointed with the Indians’ decision,’’ Federal Agriculture Minister David Littleproud said.

‘‘I’ve written to the minister in India asking them for some explanation.’’

It is the third time since late last year the tariff has been raised, with chickpeas attracting a 30 per cent toll in December and 40 per cent in February.

Mr Littleproud said access to other markets — such as Nepal, Iran and the UAE — had lessened the blow on farmers.

‘‘The important thing to understand now is there are no boats on the water with chickpeas on them,’’ he said.

‘‘Our producers haven’t been impacted as badly as they could have.’’

India has historically been a strong market for Australian crops, with chickpea export values hitting $1.14 billion in the last financial year.

Mr Littleproud, who visited India for talks on the tariffs in early January, said he was confident Federal Trade Minister Ciobo could get a deal done with India.

‘‘We’re continuing to work towards a free-trade agreement — that’s the gold standard,’’ Mr Littleproud said.