Tendencias En Legumbres

Global and Regional Trends in

Production, Trade and Consumption of Food Legume Crops

By

Sitou Akibode and Mywish Maredia1

Department of Agricultural, Food and Resource Economics

Michigan State University

Report Submitted to SPIA

March 27, 2011

1 Seniority of authorship is shared equally; authors’ names appear alphabetically.

i

Table of Contents

Abbreviations

Abstract

1. Introduction

2. Setting the Global Context

3. Global and Regional Trend Analysis of Area, Production and Yield of Focused Crops

3.1. Dry bean area, production and yield trends

3.2. Chickpea area, production and yield trends

3.3. Cowpea area, production and yield trends

3.4. Pigoen pea area, production and yield trends

3.5. Lentils area, production and yield trends

3.6. Faba bean area, production and yield trends

3.7. Trends in area, production and yield for Soybean in West Africa

3.8. Summary

4. Trends in Global and Regional Average Producer Price of Major Food Pulse Crops

5. Trend Analysis of Global and Regional Trade of Major Food Pulse Crops

6. Trends in Consumption of Pulse Crops

6.1 Pulse consumption in India: Trend and patterns emerging from household level

surveys

7. Future Outlook for Pulse Crops

8. Summary and Conclusions

References

Annex 1: List of countries included in Regional Analysis (Regional composition is defined

by FAO)

Annex 2: Average area harvested to different types of pulse crops in India, 2001-06:

Comparison of data from Government of India and FAOSTAT

Annex 3: Spatially Disaggregated Area and Yield Statistics for Dry Beans and Other Pulses

Annex 4: Tables on area, production and yield by crops and regions, 1994-96 and 2006-08

Annex 5: Producer Price by Top Pulse Growing Countries, 1994 to 2008

Annex 6: Volume and Value of Pulse Crop Imports and Exports by Top Countries in the

World, 2008

Annex 7: Patterns and Trends in Pulse Consumption: The Case of India

ii

Abbreviations

CA Central Asia

CGIAR Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research

CV Coefficient of Variation

DW Developing world

EA East Asia

FAO United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization

gm gram (measurement unit)

Ha hectare

IITA International Institute for Tropical Agriculture

INR Indian Rupee

Kcal kilo calories

Kg Kilogram

LAC Latin America and the Caribbean

MENA Middle East and North Africa (also referred as WANA)

MPCE Monthly Per Capita Consumption Expenditure

nes not elsewhere specified

NSS National Sample Survey

NSSO National Sample Survey Organization (India)

Ph. Phaseolus

ROW Rest of the World (refers to developed countries)

SA South Asia

SEA Southeast Asia

SSA Sub Saharan Africa

t metric tons

WA West Africa

WANA West Asia and North Africa (also referred as MENA)

WHO World Health Organization

iii

Global and Regional Trends in Production, Trade and

Consumption of Food Legume Crops

Abstract

Food legumes play an important and diverse role in the farming systems and in the diets of poor people

around the world. They are ideal crops for simultaneously achieving three developmental goals in

targeted population—reducing poverty, improving human health and nutrition, and enhancing ecosystem

resilience. This report provides global and regional trend analysis and sheds light on the pulse crop

production, price, trade, and consumption patterns observed in the developing world, developed countries

and globally from mid-1990s to 2008. The study is conducted through a review of secondary data and

published research and analysis reports, and presents data and analysis for cereals to compare and

contextualize the trends, patterns and outlook for pulses.

Globally, the harvested area under pulse crops is about one-tenth the harvested area under all cereal crops

and a high proportion of pulse area harvested is under rainfed-low input systems compared to cereal

crops. Thus, in 2008, the average global yields of pulse crops (0.86 t/ha) was only about one-fourth the

average yields of cereal crops (3.54 t/ha). On the bright side, over the past 14 years, the overall pulse

production has increased at a rate higher than the growth rate in population both in developing and

developed countries. Over this time period, SSA has led the developing world in terms of contribution to

production growth through growth in yield (but with a low base). A major share of the pulse production

growth rate in developed countries has been area expansion, especially in countries like Canada. In terms

of production growth rate among major pulse crops, cowpeas and soybean in West Africa have shown the

biggest increase, which are followed by pigeon peas and dry beans. However the overall picture for faba

beans, chickpeas and lentils over the last 14 years has not been so favorable with small positive growth

rate for faba beans and an overall negative growth rate for lentils due to decline in area.

Farm-gate prices for pulses have fluctuated during the past 14 years due to supply and demand mismatch,

and have experienced an upward pressure recently. This pressure is expected to continue in the

near future but may be reversed in the medium and long term. Over the past 14 years, developing

countries on aggregate have increasingly met their growing pulse requirements through increased imports

and have now become net importers of pulses. Trade in pulses grew more rapidly between 1994 and 2008

than output. The expansion in international trade of pulses has provided a good opportunity for several

developing and developed countries to expand their exports. China, Myanmar and Argentina, among

developing countries, and Canada, U.S. and Australia among developed countries have emerged as major

exporters of pulses. However, despite this rapid growth in exports and imports, pulse trade remains a

relatively thin market, especially when compared to other food commodities, such as cereals and oil

crops.

On the demand side, over the past 14 years, a stable and modest positive trend in per capita consumption

is observed within the context of a declining overall historical trend. This declining historical trend

...