1. Introduction

Chana is an important pulse crop in India, belongs to Leguminosae Family, and is also known as garbanzo beans. Chana is a rich source of high-quality protein. There are two commercial types of Chana, Desi and Kabuli, which are divided according to seed size and geographic origin. The Kabuli types have a large seed and are of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern origin. The Desi types the main variety of India has a smaller seed and is of Indian origin. Desi chana accounts for about 85% of world production, while Kabuli Chana accounts for 15% of production.

2. Growing Area

Chana is a semiarid-sub tropical crop widely spread in the states is Madhaya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra. Chana are well adapted to the drier parts of the brown and dark brown soil zones. They do not tolerate poorly drained or saline soils. The Chana is widely grown in Indian sub-continent which accounts for almost 90% of the world's crop.

3. Cropping Season

Chana is an important rabi crop mainly sown in September -November and harvested in February. Sometimes, it is also grown as a regularly or partially irrigated crop. It is best suited to areas having low to moderate rainfall and a mild cold weather. Excessive rain soon after sowing or at flowering does great harm. Severe cold is injurious, and is very harmful. Hailstorms at ripening cause much damage. It is best suited to areas having moderate rainfall of 60-90 cm per annum.

Grown as the sole crop of the year, chana is rotated with jowar, bajra, wheat, and coriander and occasionally rice. When taken as a second crop in the same year, it follows an early crop of sesame, fodder jowar, maize, guar, kar, ragi, or coriander. Irrigated chana in the south is rotated with garden crops, such as onion and sweet potatoes, or with irrigated wheat, jowar or rice. Chana is grown alone or mixed with wheat, barley, linseed, safflower or mustard. In mixed crops, chana does well when rainfall is low, whereas other crops fare better when rains are adequate or abundant.

4. Production in India

Chana, the world's third most important food legume, is currently grown on about 10 million hectare worldwide, with 95% cultivation in the developing countries. India is the major producer as well as consumer of Chana in the world. From last decade till 2004 Chana production in India varied between 4.2 Million tons to 5.8 million tons. Boom in production was noted in the year of 1994-95 with a production of 6.44 Million tons. The production lowered in the succeeding years but maintained a slow pace of growth in production till 2004. During the past 30 years, the Chana area has remained stagnant but the production has increased from 4.2MT (during 1990) to 5.88Million Tons (during 2004) because of increase in productivity from 614 to 735 kg per hectare during this period. The gram area and production marginally declined from 5.1 Million tons to 3.9 million tons from 1999 to 2000 because there was severe drought in several parts of India in years 2001 to 2003.

5. Uses and Consumption Pattern

Chana is the most widely produced and consumed pulses in India. About 80% of the Desi Chana produced are split in half to make Chana Dal, and 80% of this split form are ground into a flour called ‘Besan’ and rest part is consumed for other food products like green vegetable and cattle feed.

Chana is a rich source of protein especially for the vegetarian community of India. Chana is valued for their nutritive seeds that have protein content ranging from 25 to 29%.

Chana seeds are eaten fresh as green vegetables, parched, fried, roasted, broiled, in snack foods and condiments, and their flour Basen(made by grinding Chana) can be used as soup, dhal, and to make bread. Small amounts of Chana are also used for livestock feeds.

The use of Desi chana is follows:

Dal: used in accompany with chapatti and rice
Snacks food: prepared by heating, toasting (parching) is traditional household items, consumed with cereals.
Namkeen : Besan prepared from chana is widely used in making pakoras, kadhi, namkeens and many dishes.
Sweets products: Besan is the chief ingredients along with ghee,sugar and day fruits used to make many items of Indian confectionaries.
Sattu: parched chana is used for making various kind of saatu which is consumed for culinary purpose.
Salad and sprouts: sprouted chana and green salad of chana is widely appreciated for health food that is rich of vitamins and minerals and less in fats.
Medicinal use: Chana leaf extracts is rich for malic acid, is sometime used in medicine.
Animal feed: The plant part is used for animal feed which have high nutritional value and it is important source of horse feed.

6. India along with World in Chana Production

Figure: India and World comparison in Chana Production

India is at number one position in the world in Chana production accounting almost about 60 % of the world’s production every year. The other countries in ahead in Chana production are Pakistan, Turkey, Iran, and Myanmar. In the year 2003-04 India’s production was 5.8 million tons which was nearly 70% of the total world production.

7. Import/Export Scenario

India imports modest quantity to fulfill domestic pulse requirement and export little quantity of Chana only to such countries, where population of Indian origin resides. The country to which India exports is USA, UK, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Srilanka, Malaysia etc. India imports from Myanmar, Tanzania, Iran, Canada, Pakistan, Turkey etc.

Chickpea Exports & Import

Year	*Exports - Qty (MT)*	*Exports - Val (1000$)*	*Imports - Qty (MY)*	*Imports - Val (1000$)*
1999	4,071	1,259	11,025	5,122
2000	2,570	1,016	63,976	20,654
2001	1,427	566	516,819	191,895
2002	2,226	827	217,553	70,630
2003	2,901	1,160	259,239	87,051
2004	12,244	7,926	132,518	51,225

8. Economics of Chana

Bikaner
a. Cost of 100 kg. Chana – with Mandi expenses @ 3.6%	1900
(1.6 % mkt. cess + 1% K.K. + 1% Commission)	1900
b. Handling / lever expenses like weighment, sutli, sewing, loading –	5
unloading @ 5 Rs. Per bag	5
c. Local cartage from Market yard to Mill / Factory @ 3.5 Rs. per bag	3.5
Ex. Factory cost	1908.5
Add: Processing Expenses @ 5 % :-
a. Cash discount 2.5%
b. Dust and kachara 2.0%	95.42
c. Weight loose 0.5%
Total factory cost	2003.92
Recoveries
a. Gram Dal = 80 kg. with 5% moisture
End use consumption as gram dal 30% and end use as Besan 70% depending on state specific market demand
b. Churi +chilka = 20 kg.
100 kg.
c. Besan = 72 Kg.(@ 90% of 80 Kg gram dal)
Less Present realizable market value of
20 Kg. Churi & Chilka@ 8/ Kg.	160

Value of 70 kg. Besan	1843.92
Cost per Kg. of Besan	26.34
Present market rate per Kg.	24.5
Disparity	1.84

9. Marketing Channel for trading of Chana