Chickpea exports to the global market increased by a record 113 percent last year although the main market, India had imposed restrictions against pulses.
Tanzania Pulse Network’s National Coordinator, Zirack Andrew said chickpeas were the only specie of pulses to have performed well among four major pulses cultivated in the country. The three other pulses that made a poor show include kidney beans, pigeon peas and green grams.
Andrew said according to an export analysis report on pulse compiled by TPN, it shows that 87,178 metric tons of chickpeas were exported compared to 44,895 MT exported in 2018. Despite the restrictions, India took the lion’s share of chickpea exports.
The TPN report said according to International Trade Centre (ITC) and Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) data, it indicates that the surge in chickpea exports is surprising because the three other types experienced a decline.
“Perhaps the main reason for this is that Tanzania specializes in production of Desi rather than Kabuli chickpeas. Turkey and other countries reported an overproduction of Kabuli chickpeas in 2019,” the report stated.
Elaborating on kidney beans exports, Andrew said exports went against the overall trend with 1,202MT exported last year which was well below the previous year’s 2,845MT, an equivalent of nearly 58 percent decline. Again India was the top destination for the country’s kidney beans beating off Pakistan which was the main destination in 2018.
Explaining on green gram’s performance, the TPN National Coordinator noted that according to the ITC and TRA data for last year, there was a steep decline in the commodity’s exports from 44,895MT in 2018 to 18,362MT, a 60 percent slump. “The decline can be attributed to India’s imposition of restrictions into its market since June 2018,” Andrew added. Unlike kidney bean exports, which found other markets, green gram exports did not.
“If India maintains its restrictions, it is certain that green gram exports will decrease and production will consequently be discouraged among local farmers,” he warned saying New Delhi remains the largest market for local pulses. Highlighting on pigeon peas, he said the country exported 83,649MT last year, representing a mere 3 percent decline from the 85,865MT exported in 2018.
