Economic Importance of Chickpea: Production, Value, and World Trade

Abstract

Chickpea is a valued crop and provides nutritious food for an expanding world population and will become increasingly important with climate change. Production ranks third after beans with a mean annual production of over 10 million tons with most of the production centered in India. Land area devoted to chickpea has increased in recent years and now stands at an estimated 13.5 million hectares. Production per unit area has slowly but steadily increased since 1961 at about 6 kg/ha per annum. Over 1.3 million tons of chickpea enter world markets annually to supplement the needs of countries unable to meet demand through domestic production. India, Australia, and Mexico are leading exporters. Chickpea is comprised of Desi and Kabuli types. The Desi type is characterized by relatively small angular seeds with various coloring and sometimes spotted. The Kabuli type is characterized by larger seed sizes that are smoother and generally light colored. Dal is a major use for chickpea in South Asia while hummus is widely popular in many parts of the world. Research efforts at ICRISAT, ICARDA, and national programs have slowly but steadily increased yield potential of chickpea germplasm.