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Ko Impex Limited

Dry Beans

Lablab Beans (Hyacinth Beans)

Lablab — hyacinth bean, and njahi in Kenya — is a flattened pulse with a pronounced white hilum ridge, grown across East Africa and traded principally into regional and diaspora demand.

The identifying feature is the long white ridge running most of the length of the seed, which distinguishes lablab from the Phaseolus and Vigna beans it otherwise resembles. Seed colour ranges from cream through red-brown to near black.

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Lablab beans, also traded as hyacinth beans, showing the flattened oval seed with the characteristic long white hilum ridge
Origin
Kenya · Tanzania · Uganda
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.

Lablab Beans (Hyacinth Beans)

Lablab purpureus, black njahi and cream types

Indicative
Product
Lablab beans, Lablab purpureus
Origin
Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda
Crop year
Stated on contract
Moisture
13% max
Purity
98% min
Foreign matter
1% max
Colour type
Black (njahi) or cream, contracted separately
Admixture
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.
  • Admixture — Lablab is often intercropped, so other pulse seed is the common contaminant.
  • GMO status — There are no commercially cultivated genetically modified varieties of this crop.
  • Black and cream are separate contracts. A mixed lot is a different product and priced as one.

Grades and forms

Available grades

Commercially distinct types, each contracted separately.

  • Black lablab (njahi)

    The dark type carrying the strongest Kenyan demand, contracted on colour depth.

    Market name
    Njahi

  • Cream lablab

    The pale type, contracted where a light seed is specified.

    Colour
    Cream, against approved sample

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 lablab beans

Colour type
Black and cream are separate contracts. A mixed lot is a different product and priced as one.
Admixture
Lablab is often intercropped, so other pulse seed is the common contaminant.
Moisture
Set for transit; the flattened seed dries unevenly if rushed.

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 lablab beans

Kenyan demand for the black type, sold as njahi, is the strongest single market for the crop. Specification, colour type and origin are confirmed against the offered lot.

Also traded as hyacinth bean · lablab · njahi · dolichos bean · lablab purpureus · fiwi. 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
  • Prepared foods

Frequently asked questions

Yes. Lablab purpureus is traded as hyacinth bean in international markets, njahi in Kenya and fiwi in parts of Tanzania. One commodity, several market names.

Catalogue

Related pulses and beans

Request a current lablab beans 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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