Chickpeas

Chickpea is a highly nutritious pulse and places third in the importance list of the food legumes that are cultivated throughout the world.There are mainly two types of chickpea produced i.e. Desi and Kabuli. They can be separated on the basis of their following features Desi chickpea – These are spilt peas and are relatively smaller in size having a thicker seed coat.

They appear dark brown in color and they can be used and served in many ways. Kabuli Chickpeas – Kabuli chickpeas have a whitish-cream color and are relatively bigger in size having a thinner seed coat. They are generally used in soups /salads or as flour The world’s total production of chickpeas hovers around 8.5 million metric tons annually and is grown over 10 million hectares of land approximately. The Desi type chickpea contribute to around 80% and the Kabuli type around 20% of the total production.

India is the largest producer of this pulse contributing to around 70% of the world’s total production. Desi type chickpeas largely dominate the ratio of production in India. Regarding the consumption pattern, all most all of the chickpea is consumed in the countries where it is produced. According to World Trade Statistics, the total world exports in 2002 were 743 thousand tons. The major exporter countries of chickpea are: Turkey, Australia, Mexico, Canada, Syria, United States The top three exporting countries i.e. Turkey, Australia and Mexico have a combine share of over 75% of the world total exports of chickpeas.

The imports figure around 500 thousand tons in a year and is not concentrated as in the case of the chickpea exports. Countries in the Asian continent are the major importer of Desi type chickpea and the remaining countries import Kabuli type chickpea.

Features

• Naturally enriched with taste and health benefits
• Owing to low GI and high fiber content helps in weight loss
• Helps in stabilizing blood sugar with low Glycaemic Index (GI)
• Regular intake helps in lowering bad LDL and cholesterol
• Contains antioxidants and lowers the risk of breast cancer
• High iron content that boosts energy