Chickpea

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Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is an important grain legume in Asia, and being a rich and cheap source of protein can help people improve the nutritional quality of their diets. Chickpea is of relatively minor importance on the world market but it is extremely important for local trade in numerous tropical and subtropical regions. It is grown and consumed in large quantities from South East Asia to India and in the Middle East and Mediterranean countries. It ranks second in area and third in production among the pulses worldwide.

Origin and use

Chickpea probably originated in southeastern Turkey and spread west and south via the Silk Route. Four centers of diversity have been identified in the Mediterranean, Central Asia, the Near East and India, as well as a secondary center of origin in Ethiopia. Chickpea cultivation is known as long ago as the early Bronze Age in Jericho. It is grown and consumed in large quantities from South East Asia to India and in the Middle East and Mediterranean countries. It ranks second in area and third in production among pulses worldwide.

Chickpea harvest, India (photo: ICRISAT images)
Chickpea harvest, India (photo: ICRISAT images)

Chickpea is classified into desi chickpea and kabuli chickpea. Grains of desi chickpea are small in size, light to dark brown in color, and have a thick seed coat. Grains of kabuli chickpea are bigger in size, have a whitish-cream color and thin seed coat. The desi type however, is more prominent – it accounts for close to 80% of global chickpea production. Desi chickpea can withstand cooler temperatures and matures quicker than kabuli chickpea.

Production

Most production and consumption of chickpea (95%) takes place in developing countries. It was grown on about 11.9 million hectares in 2010. Chickpea production has increased over the past 30 years from 6.6 million metric tons to 10.0 million metric tons. Most chickpeas are grown in South Asia, which accounts for more than 75% of the world chickpea area. India is by far the largest chickpea producing country. Over the period 1978–80 to 2008–10, the area under chickpea in India increased marginally from 7.6 million hectares to 7.9 million hectares, but production increased by 40% (from 4.8 to 6.8 million metric tons). Other important chickpea producing countries are Pakistan, Turkey, Mexico, Canada and Australia.

Despite being a crop of the temperate regions, advances in plant breeding have enabled chickpea cultivation to gradually spread to the sub-tropical and tropical regions of Africa, North America and Oceania. In Africa, it is grown mainly to utilize fallow lands. Africa’s share of the global chickpea area has gradually increased to 4.7% in 2008–10 from 3.8% in 1981–83.

Nutrition

Chickpea is a highly nutritious grain legume crop and is one of the cheapest sources of protein. It can be eaten raw, roasted or boiled. It can also be processed into flour or dehulled grain (dal). It contains none of the anti-nutritional or toxic compounds often present in other legumes. Chickpea is an important source of energy, protein and soluble and insoluble fiber. Mature chickpea grains contain 60-65% carbohydrates, 6% fat, and between 12% and 31% protein – higher than any other pulse crop. Chickpea is also a good source of vitamins (especially B vitamins) and minerals like potassium and phosphorus. Through symbiotic nitrogen fixation, the crop meets up to 80% of the soil’s nitrogen needs, so farmers have to apply less nitrogen fertilizer than they do for other non-legume crops.

Impact of CGIAR Centers

High-yielding, short-duration chickpea varieties resistant to fusarium wilt – characteristics needed to adapt the crop to the short season and warmth of southern India – were introduced there by ICRISAT (International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics) in partnership with the local authorities. These chickpea varieties have been rapidly adopted. Over the past 10 years, the chickpea area has increased six fold and production has shot up from 95,000 to 884,000 metric tons per year. Andhra Pradesh, once considered an unfavorable state for chickpea cultivation, has today the highest chickpea yields (averaging 1.4 metric tons/hectare) in India, and produces almost as much chickpea as Australia, Canada, Mexico, and Myanmar put together.

ICRISAT-bred chickpea cultivars covered over 80% of the chickpea area in Myanmar during the 2008/09 growing season, with the adoption of improved cultivars leading to an increase in area and productivity. During the past decade, chickpea production in Myanmar has increased 4.8 fold (from 84,000 to 401,800 metric tons) due to an increase in area (from 129,000 to 272,000 hectares) and yield (from 650 to 1479 kilograms/hectare). Myanmar has emerged as an important exporter of chickpea in the region.

ICARDA’s (International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas) winter chickpea research has made important contributions to household economies in Syria, and created the conditions for significant additional increases in production of this nationally important crop. Chickpea productivity has been improved by overcoming key constraints that earlier prevented the cultivation of winter-sown chickpea. These efforts have also strengthened national research and extension capacity, and developed strong partnerships with national research organizations.

Chickpea exports from East Africa have substantially increased over the last decade, varying between 11,000 and 122,000 metric tons per year. The introduction of new large-seeded kabuli cultivars in eastern Africa presented new opportunities for farmers to earn extra income by exporting these high-value chickpeas.

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