Project report for Chickpea Cultivation

Chickpea is one of the important leguminous food crop, grown across different agro ecological sub-regions of India. Chickpea is one of the major pulses cultivated and consumed in India. It is one of the oldest and most important sources of protein. After dry beans and peas, chickpea is the third most important pulse crop grown in the world. Chickpea accounts for 20% of the global pulse production. Almost every part of the chickpea crop has commercial value and is most commonly used as dal, followed by whole grain and flour. Chickpea is mainly grown a rabbi crop (post-rainy season) in Andhra Pradesh.

Chickpeas are used as snacks in many parts of the world and are even used in salads. Changing lifestyles and increased awareness regarding healthy eating is expected to fuel the market growth over the forecast period. Chickpeas are rich sources of fibres, folate, zinc, and protein. For instance, in Turkey, salted roasted chickpeas are consumed in the form of "Leblebi" spiced with cloves and In South Asia, chickpea is mostly consumed as snacks as well as curry. Therefore, the growing consumption of chickpea in different forms will drive the chickpea market during the forecasting period.

The global chickpeas market reached a value of INR 120,700.13 Crores in 2020 and by rising awareness of health benefits of the product. Aided by the emerging trend of vegetarian meat substitutes, the industry is expected to witness a further growth in the forecast period of 2021-2027 at a CAGR of 1.3% to attain a volume of 14.26 million tons by 2026. Chickpeas are an economical source of dietary proteins for vegetarian and vegan consumers and are widely consumed in the form of dal in the Indian subcontinent. They are also used as a primary ingredient in hummus, a dip made with mashed chickpeas and other materials, which is popular in numerous parts of the globe. Moreover, consumers are nowadays opting for food products with high protein content owing to rising health awareness, which is further driving the product demand. With the prevailing trend of vegetarian meat substitutes, chickpeas are also being utilized for producing textured protein. Besides this, on account of the high cost and limited availability of higher protein sources like soybean, chickpeas have emerged as a low-cost feed additive. Some of the other factors boosting the growth of the market are population growth, increasing disposable incomes, and changing dietary patterns.