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(9.7%). The major chickpea producing countries in the region are Pakistan,
Turkey, Morocco, Iran and Syria.
Although in terms of production, chickpeas are the most important of the food
legumes grown in the region, their productivity is amongst the lowest. In fact,
whereas the productivity on the world basis has shown an increase in the period
1949-52 to 1976-80, it has shown a small decline (by about 1.6%) in the
ICARDA region and the increase of about 11.1% in production over this period
has come from an increase in area. The countries in the ICARDA region where
production has increased are Turkey, Syria, Tunisia, Algeria, Iraq and Egypt.
The countries registering a decr. ase in production are Pakistan, Iran and Jorain.
The increase in production of chickpeas in the region, which as mentioned
earlier has all come from increased area, has not been able to keep pace with the
increase in the population in the last 25 years, thus resulting in reduced per caput
availability. Prices have risen, thus making this important legume out of reach
for some of the lower income groups. Need for an increase in the productivity of
chickpeas is therefore urgent.
Use
Chickpeas are used in a variety of ways. Major usage in the Indian subcontinent
isin the form of 'dhal'. Chickpea flour is used for making sweets and snacks. One
of the major chickpea preparations in parts of West Asia is 'Hommos-Bi-Tahineh'.
Roasted chickpeas are also widely used as snacks. In North Africa and
Spain, seeds are soaked overnight, boiled for an hour and sold in the market.
Green seeds are eaten raw or cooked. Dry stems and seed hull are used as animal
feed. Quality characters desired for different preparations are not well documented
and therefore there is a need for the survey of the region for consumer
preference and usage of chickpeas. Such information could be helpful in varietal
improvement programs.
Trade
Although relatively insignificant in the world trade of food'grain, both export and
import of chickpeas have increased substantially in the 1970. During 1971,
106,735 mt at a value of US$ 23 million were exported. The export went up to
167,069 mt at a value of US$ 123 million in 1980 (Tab. 2a). Major exporting
countries of the world are: Mexico, Turkey, Spain, Morocco, Chile, Ethiopia and
Tunisia. Likewise, import of chickpeas during 1971 was 70,265 mt at a value of
US$ 16 million which rose to 147,335 mt at a value of US$ 123 million during
1980 (Tab. 2b). Major importing countries are: Spain, Algeria, USA, Jordan,
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