Pigeon Peas

Pigeon Peas

The legumes of the pigeon pea plant are not actually peas but contribute to one of the most famous pulse in the world. In both new and old worlds, this pulse bears a high popularity level and it is proven by the fact that it is cultivated in more than 25 countries of the world.

As compared to the other pulses produced in the world, pigeon pea holds the sixth rank in the context of production. The world production of this crop figures around 3.25 million tons annually. Dominant producers of this crop are the countries in the Indian subcontinent, Africa and Central America as the climate conditions suit the development of the crop.

The leading producer is India producing about 85 % of the world’s total produce. Pigeon pea is consumed throughout the world as a staple food. It is also consumed as a green vegetable and as a fodder crop.

Though India is the largest producer of the crop but it is not into the exports of Pigeon peas at all, as the domestic consumption demand in the country is quite high and Myanmar, the neighboring country to India leads the Pigeon peas exporting countries’ list. The major importing countries that import pigeon pea are

• Myanmar
• Republic of Tanzania
• Kenya
• Malawi
• Uganda
• Mozambique

The pigeon pea importing list is topped by the India and the European Union.

Pigeon pea is mostly cultivated as a secondary or mixed crop throughout the world. It is mainly a tropical crop which is cultivated with the cereal grains such as maize, millet and sorghum etc. This crop can be long lasting crop as it can last for a period of 3-5 years but it is generally grown as an annual crop. It is basically a drought resistant crop due to its long tap roots and that is why it is cultivated in semi arid areas. Pigeon pea is also helpful in the process of nitrogen fixation of the soil.

In India, the sowing season for this crop is in the summers or the khariff season. June and July are considered to be the best time to plant this crop. The seeds of pigeon pea starts germinating in two weeks time. The plant starts flowering with the upcoming of October and it is harvested in December and January. In Africa, the harvesting period of pigeon pea crop is around June and July.

During harvesting, the crop is picked by hand, dried in the sun and then it is taken for threshing process. After threshing has been done, the remaining grain is cleaned through the winnowing process. The crop starts arriving in the Indian market from October.
The world production of pigeon pea sums up to 3.25 million tons. India is the largest producer contributing to around 85% of the world total production followed by Myanmar and Malawi. It is grown on 4.3 million hectares land in the world, India again leading in this context with 85% of the area covered. Myanmar and Nepal stands on 2nd and 3rd position in the list of the countries with the highest area covered in the production of Pigeon peas. In Africa, it is cultivated on 0.42 million hectares of land and china contributes to 60000 hectares of land. The area covered in Asia has reached up to 3.81 million hectares as compared to the figure of 2.44 million hectares in 1972. This has led to a 61 % increase in Asia’s production. Also there has been an increase in the production level and the area covered in the production of pigeon pea in Africa. This continent has an astonishing 96% increase in its production and 66% rise in terms of area. The global production of tur has been increasing and is risen up by 43% since 1970. As already mentioned, pigeon pea helps in nitrogen fixation process and can provide 40Kg nitrogen per hectare.