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Written by Suzanne Waring
M
ontana could become
a U.S. leading ex-
porter of chickpea,
a crop with a growing market
throughout the world. Even
now Montana places third in U.
S. chickpea production.
Major worldwide chickpea producers
are India, Pakistan, Turkey, Iran, and
Mexico. In turn, India is, by far, the
largest chickpea consumer, with Turkey
and Pakistan following. India, alone,
imports about 700,000 tons of chickpea
each year. People in India consume
chickpea in hundreds of different ways.
They even grind and mix it with curd to
use as a facial. Vendors sell chickpea
in bulk, along with other pulses, on the
streets in Indian cities.
"Because pulses are a major food for
so many people, the market is strong,
especially because production growth is
behind population growth," said Chrissy
Cook of Hodgskiss Seed who spoke at a
recent Montana Extension Service meet-
ing on chickpea. "Presently the demand
is unusually high because India has had
three bad harvest years in a row. Canada
has capitalized on this market and now
CHICKPEA… A MOTIVATING ALTERNATIVE TO WHEAT BUT,
DEMANDS EXCELLENT MANAGEMENT SKILLS
The morning sun casts rays over a field of healthy chickpea on the Diekhans farm near Geraldine. Photo courtesy of Chris Diekhans.
Finding the
PULSE
on Profitable Crops
