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Ko Impex Limited

Dry Beans

Bambara Groundnuts

Bambara groundnut is an indigenous African pulse that ripens below ground like a peanut but is a Vigna, not an oilseed — a hard round seed traded across East and Southern Africa.

The crop is genuinely African in origin and remains grown across the region, largely by smallholders. Despite the name and the underground pod, it is a pulse and not a groundnut: it carries no comparable oil content and is not a peanut substitute or allergen equivalent.

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Bambara groundnuts of the cream type, showing the hard, almost spherical seed and small pale hilum
Origin
Tanzania · Malawi · Zambia
Processing
Whole, dried · Machine cleaned
Crop year
Stated on contract
Packing
25 / 50 kg PP
Quantity
Container quantities
Incoterms
FOB · CFR · CIF
HS code
0713.39
Availability
On request

Specification

Typical export specification

Indicative contract parameters, not laboratory results. The specification that applies is the one written into the contract.

Bambara Groundnuts

Indigenous African pulse, Vigna subterranea

Indicative
Product
Bambara groundnuts, Vigna subterranea
Origin
Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia
Crop year
Stated on contract
Moisture
12% max
Purity
98% min
Foreign matter
1% max
Colour
Mixed as harvested, unless a single colour is contracted
Damaged and discoloured
Against buyer requirement
GMO status
Not genetically modified

Notes on specific parameters

  • Crop year — Contract on a specific crop year; it materially affects colour, cooking behaviour and insect load.
  • Moisture — The seed is dense and dries slowly; moisture is set deliberately for the transit.
  • Foreign matter — The pod ripens underground, so soil and stone removal matters more than for an above-ground pulse.
  • GMO status — There are no commercially cultivated genetically modified varieties of this crop.
  • A pulse, not an oilseed: despite the name and the underground pod it is not a groundnut and carries no comparable oil content.
  • A single-colour lot is a sorting requirement and is priced as one.

Grades and forms

Available grades

Commercially distinct types, each contracted separately.

  • Cream bambara

    Uniform cream seed, the class most often specified for retail packing.

    Colour
    Cream, against approved sample

  • Mixed colour bambara

    Landrace material in mixed cream, red-brown and speckled seed. The standard regional trade form.

    Colour
    Mixed, as harvested

Packing and supply

Packing and container supply

Standard formats below, and buyer-specific packing where it can be supported. Planned net weight per 20ft container is indicatively 19 MT, confirmed against packing, density and destination.

  • Packing

    • 25 kg PP woven bag
    • 50 kg PP woven bag
    • Buyer-branded bags

  • Container

    • 20ft FCL — standard for bagged pulses
    • 40ft FCL where the density suits it
    • ~19 MT indicative net per 20ft

  • Terms

    • FOB
    • CFR
    • CIF
    • FCA on request

  • Loading

    • Net weighed and marked to contract
    • Container inspected before stuffing
    • Final payload confirmed against density and destination

Packing is confirmed in writing before bagging begins. Packing formats and marking in full.

Quality and trade

Quality and export documentation

What decides quality in bambara

Colour requirement
Landrace seed is naturally mixed. A single-colour lot is a sorting requirement and must be contracted as one.
Stone and soil
The pod ripens underground, so destoning and washing matter more than for an above-ground pulse.
Moisture
The seed is dense and dries slowly. Moisture is set deliberately for the transit.

Third-party inspection can be nominated at the loading point — sampling, analysis, weight verification and loading supervision. Quality and processing in full.

Typical export documents

  • Commercial Invoice
  • Packing List
  • Bill of Lading
  • Certificate of Origin
  • Phytosanitary Certificate
  • Fumigation Certificate
  • Weight Certificate

Final documentation depends on the commodity, origin, destination and buyer requirements. Not every document listed is required on every shipment.

Logistics, Incoterms and documentation

Origin and sourcing

Where this commodity is sourced

Sourced through established growers, aggregators and processors, with origin, crop and lot confirmed on each offer.
Check availability
More on bambara

Seed colour varies widely across landrace material, from cream to red-brown to speckled, so a colour requirement has to be contracted explicitly rather than assumed.

Also traded as bambara beans · bambara nut · njugu mawe · nzama · vigna subterranea. These are trade names for the same commodity and are covered by this page rather than split across separate listings.

Destination markets

Typical destinations for this commodity. Import duty, quotas and phytosanitary conditions are set by the importing country — confirm the current position with your own broker.

End uses

  • Regional food trade
  • Diaspora retail
  • Milling

Frequently asked questions

No. It ripens underground like a peanut, which is where the name comes from, but it is a pulse of the genus Vigna with none of the oil content of a groundnut. It is not a peanut substitute and should not be treated as an equivalent allergen.

Catalogue

Related pulses and beans

Request a current bambara offer

Tell us the quantity, destination port and required specification. We will confirm current availability, packing and commercial terms.

  • Quantity
  • Destination port
  • Specification
  • Packing
  • Incoterm
  • Shipment window
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