CHANA

Light-brown beans with a nutty flavour belonging to the chickpea family. Chickpeas, sometimes also known as garbanzo beans, are believed to have originated in North Africa, the Middle East and India. They are a spring-seeded, annual legume that needs no nitrogen fertilizer. They have excellent drought tolerance due to their two to six foot long tap root. Chickpeas have indeterminate growth which means they continue flowering until stress such as drought or frost stops growth and begins pod-set. Chickpeas are well adapted to the drier parts of the brown and dark brown soil zones of the Prairies. They do not tolerate poorly drained or saline soils.

Types of Chana

Desi - main type grown in India. Desi types are small-seeded varieties requiring 95 to 105 days to mature on the Prairies. They make up 85 to 90 per cent of world chickpea production.

Kabuli - Kabuli types are large-seeded varieties that require 100 to 110 days to reach maturity. Kabulis only make up 10% to 15% of world production.

Chana producing countries



Features

Desi - Desis are usually split and may be substituted for green or yellow peas. They may also be milled into flour. On the Indian subcontinent, where desis are used, they are served in may ways. The whole seed is boiled, roasted, pureed, puffed or sugar-coated. Split chickpeas are mashed, pureed, fried, curried and used in sweet fillings. Chickpea flour is used for pancakes, breading, thickeners, or fried noodles.

Kabuli - Kabuli seeds have a cream to white-colored hull and are, ideally, 8 to 10 mm. (5/16 to 3/8 inch) in diameter. The seeds are sold whole for use in soups and salads or ground into flour.

Major Trading Centres

• Desi
  • Madhya Pradesh - Indore, Bhopal and Vidisha.
  • Maharashtra - Jalgaon, Latur, Mumbai and Akola.
  • Rajasthan - Jaipur, Bikaner, Kota, Jodhpur, Sriganaganagar and Hanumangarh.
  • Other major centers are are Delhi, Chennai, Kanpur, Hapur, Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Gulbarga, Sirsa, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Sangrur

Sowing period : October and November

Harvesting period : March and April

Note : Chickpeas are generally grown without irrigation.

Export, import and price

World exports during the past 10 years were variable, but trending upwards. Exports ranged from a low of 313,000 tonnes (t) in calendar year 1995 to a high of 993,000 t in 2001.

In 2002, the latest year for which world trade statistics are available, exports were 743,000 t.

There are currently only four significant exporters of chickpeas - Turkey, Australia, Mexico and Syria.

The U.S. is the fifth largest exporter but that country imports much, much more, mainly kabulis, than it exports.

India is the largest importer of chickpeas. India accounts for over 30% of all imports, almost all desis. Pakistan, Spain, and Bangladesh are the other three major importers.

India and surrounding countries import mainly the desi type, while countries in North and South America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa import mainly the kabuli type.

The price difference between desis and kabulis is partly related to the end user market. Kabulis tend to be used in relatively more affluent countries. Desis are primarily consumed on the Indian sub-continent where purchasing power isn't as great. Desi prices generally track edible yellow pea prices but at a considerable premium.

World Production

  - During the past 10 years, world production has been variable.
  - 6.6 million tonnes (Mt) in 2000-2001
  - 9.5 Mt in 1998-1999

India accounted for 60-70% of world production during this period. Production in India was variable, which was the main reason for the large range in world production.

On average, world production consisted of about 75% desi type and 25% kabuli type. Production of the kabuli type is more dispersed and therefore less variable than for the desi type.

World Chana supply and disposition

WORLD CHICKPEA SUPPLY AND DISPOSITION
	2000-01	2001-02	2002-03	2003-04
Harvested Area (kha)	9,200	10,700	9,800	10,600
Average Yields (t/ha)	0.72	0.79	0.82	0.77
	...thousand tonnes...
Carry-in Stocks	400	100	400	100
Production :-
India	3,850	5,470	4,130	5,770
Pakistan	565	397	362	672
Turkey	548	535	650	600
Iran	160	269	290	255
Myanmar	84	119	194	200
Ethiopia	176	176	180	180
Mexico	234	326	235	240
Australia	150	258	136	178
Syria	65	60	89	87
Spain	46	53	73	65
Canada	388	455	156	68
United States	59	73	38	20
Others	290	304	337	325
Total Production	6,615	8,495	6,870	8,660
Total Kabuli Production	1,940	2,220	2,020	1,810
Total Desi Production	4,675	6,275	4,850	6,850
Total Supply	7,015	8,595	7,270	8,760
Total Use	6,915	8,195	7,170	8,380
Carry-out Stocks	100	400	100	400
Stocks-to-use Ratio (%)	1	5	1	5