I - --ii
I - --ii
I - --ii
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
were absorbed by the canning industry in those 2years. This situation stimulated<br />
the high production of 1979 which, associated with considerable imports, led to a<br />
serious problem of surplus. Consequently prices fell and latest reports put them<br />
at as low as CI 120 per tonne on the local market; both area and production were<br />
reduced in 1980 and further reduced in 1981 (official statistics are not available<br />
yet.)<br />
These events indicate that marketing of chickpea is difficult and inreliable<br />
and this constitutes one of the major limiting factors to increasing production.<br />
Consequentl) lhe cost of production needs to be reduced. Problems like mechanization<br />
(especially harvesting) and weed control also continue to be limiting<br />
factors.<br />
Production Practices<br />
Chickpea is grown in rotation with cereals or vegetables under rainfed conditions.<br />
Occasionally spate (i.e. river-flood) irrigation is practised, especially in the<br />
central area, to flood the fields, usually prior to sowing. Producers obtain their<br />
seed from their previous crop or from other chickpea growers. The Seed Production<br />
Centre finds it difficult to dispense seed of the local variety but they<br />
anticipate that seed of new, improved varieties will be easily dispensed. At<br />
present, all chickpea fields are sown almost exclusively with the local landrace<br />
which has a high purity percentage. Recent variety trials have shown that new,<br />
improved cultivars could replace the local landrace (Xenophotos, E., personal<br />
communication).<br />
Fields are prepared by plowing, followed by one or two lighter cultivations, as<br />
soon as the weather and field conditions permit it in January or early February.<br />
The majority of sowing is done from the middle of February to the middle of<br />
March. Winter sowing is not practised. Seed rates used are low, around 75 kg/ha,<br />
and they vary considerably. Higher rates of 100-125 kg/ha are recommended by<br />
the Department of Agriculture. The seed is either broadcasted or hand sown in<br />
furrows; some progressive growers are now using locally constructed cereal drills.<br />
Small doses of N fertilizer (up to 20 kg N/ha) and P fertilizer (40-50 kg P20 5/<br />
ha) are applied at sowing.<br />
Weed control is by hand hoeing. Diseases are not a problem and occasional<br />
attacks by insects are controlled with readily available insecticides.<br />
At harvest, plants are hand pulled, heaped to dry and then threshed with<br />
stationary threshers. The straw is used for feeding the livestock, and is highly<br />
priced.<br />
Generally, chickpea is grown on a limited scale in scattered fields. Some major<br />
limitations to chickpea production are: (a) local consumption is very low (Haricot<br />
beans and faba beans are preferred); (b) cost of production is high due to the<br />
221