True boom for chickpea production
Australia
Wednesday 04 January 2017
FJ
Strong growth in chickpea production in Australia, which exports almost all of it to Asia.
Very strong growth for the chickpea crop, which is expected to reach a record of 1.2 million tonnes according to estimates made by the Australian Ministry of Agriculture.
Record production of 1.2 million tonnes, up by 21% from the previous year. The cultivated area in the country has grown from 425,000 hectares 2 years ago to 789,000 hectares. Chickpea is attracting more and more farmers faced with low wheat prices. Indeed the price of one tonne of chickpeas reaches 800 AUSD (550 euros) while one ton of wheat is negotiated at 200 AUSD (140 euros).
The price is profitable and the demand is growing. Australian production is exported mainly to Pakistan, Bangladesh and India. India has a large population of which a large part is vegetarian, the Indian demand for legumes, rich in proteins like chick peas, will therefore increase.
source : pulseaus.com.au, lefigaro.fr