Price of chickpea lentil up by 90pc in a year

LAHORE:Daal Chana known as poor man’s chicken, has become costlier by 90 percent in a year. The steep rise in its prices have particularly been seen for the last three months---after commencement of new financial year.

Since late July, its price skyrocketed, showing one-third or 33.60 percent jump. The average wholesale price of the pulse now stands at Rs366 per kg in Punjab province, according to official price list. While its retail price surged to as high as Rs570 per kg at departmental stores while in City markets, it is still available at Rs430 to Rs450 per kg.

A trader said that shortage of the pulse is being witnessed in the market. He claimed that there are rumours in the market that the pulse price could hit Rs550 per kg mark in few weeks if supply is not increased. Same is with the case of whole black gram and gram flour as their prices are being seen on the upward trajectory. Interestingly, in contrast, official rate of chicken recorded at Rs577 per kg in retail market. If price-hike continues unabatedly, daal chana rate may cross chicken prices in near future.

The shooting up of black gram or chickpea prices have been blamed on poor harvest. According to a report, the desi chickpea production has fallen for the third consecutive year, hit by climate change and neglect, with output estimated 52 percent lower than the target.

Punjab, which produces lion’s share in the total crop in the country, once again failed to produce a modest output of gram in the Rabi season 2023-24. Against the official production target of 0.322 million tons, Punjab’s gram production faltered at 0.167 million tons, reflecting a massive 52 percent decline in harvest. The annual requirement of gram in the country is said to be over 0.5 million tons.

The failure of the crop mainly stems from a declining yield, which is assessed at 2.43 maund (40kg) per acre against the target of 4.24 maund per acre in 2023-24. The area under gram crop has also been on the decline. Farmers cultivated gram on 1.73 million acres in the year under review against the official target of 1.90 million acres.

One of the major reasons behind the continuous low yield of gram has been the inaction on the part of policymakers who fail to come up with innovative solutions for addressing the enormous challenge of climate change.

Their inability on this front and acting as silent spectators is exposed by the fact that gram production has conversely been on the rise elsewhere in the world in the last one and a half decades.

Commonly known as black gram, it is a widely used food legume among pulses. Being a major nutritious source of protein and carbohydrate, people are fond of eating gram due to its taste and health benefits. Its pulse or chana daal and flour have been a favourite choice for many households for preparing both sweet and savory dishes. Gram has also been a top choice for the low-income group due to its relatively cheap source of protein. Hence, the importance of chickpeas increases manifold for being a major pulse crop and source of dietary protein, providing nutritional security for the poor masses of the country. Out of all pulses for human consumption, split gram accounts for over 70 percent share.

Demand for chickpea has increased tremendously in recent years due to the ever-increasing population and reduced production. To meet the expanding gap between demand and supply of gram, Pakistan has to import chickpea from various countries, requiring huge foreign exchange reserves.