The global supply of chickpeas may be reduced by up to 20 percent this year because Russia and Ukraine are two of the world’s largest exporters of pulses, according to a trade group. Credit … Valaurian Waller for The New York Times
Hummus has long gone beyond its roots as a staple food in the Middle East to become a family delicacy around the world. Now, the Russian invasion of Ukraine could have the creamy chickpea dish in short supply.
Russia and Ukraine are two of the world’s largest exporters of chickpeas – Russia alone accounts for about a quarter of world chickpea trade – and the supply of pulses could be reduced by up to 20 percent this year, according to a Global Confederation estimate. Pulse.
The fighting in Ukraine, as well as the economic sanctions imposed on Russia are the biggest distorters of the flow of chickpeas, according to the industry group, which represents producers and traders of legumes, dried seeds of legumes such as peas, beans and lentils. Rising commodity prices, which have been driven in part by rising oil costs, are another problem.
“Globally, chickpea prices can rise by 15 to 20 percent, the same value as falling supply,” said Navneet Singh Chhabra, trade association analyst and director of Shree Sheela International , a global chickpea trader.
Russia is one of the world’s leading suppliers of chickpeas, producing about 250,000 tons of chickpeas a year. But economic sanctions are limiting the ways their producers can take chickpeas out of the country, Mr. Chhabra.
The problem is different in Ukraine: much of its harvest is usually planted in Kharkiv province, where fighting has made planting difficult. Ukraine normally produces between 30,000 and 50,000 tons of chickpeas a year, but this year it will produce a maximum of 5,000 tons, Chhabra estimated.
Russia is a major supplier of a smaller variety, called Kabuli chickpeas, which is especially preferred for hummus, Mr. Chhabra.
Russia’s largest export markets are Iraq, Jordan, Egypt, Pakistan and India, and demand for those markets will cause ripples around the world, he said.
“The South Asian market will buy the cheapest chickpea, but in the Middle East and the United States there is a strong preference for the smaller, softer Kabuli chickpea, because that’s what makes the best wrinkle-free hummus.” said Mr. Said Chhabra. “And Russia exports the best and largest quantity of Kabuli chickpeas in the world.”