Dark Red Kidney Beans
Tanzania · Ethiopia
View productDry Beans
Red Kidney Beans Exporter
Red kidney beans from Tanzanian and East African origins, cleaned and graded to a contracted count per 100 g for canners, packers and distributors.
Red kidney beans are among the most widely traded dry beans in the world, and East Africa is a genuine production origin for them rather than a marginal one. The Southern Highlands of Tanzania — Mbeya, Songwe, Njombe, Iringa, Rukwa and Katavi — are the principal zone, with additional volume from Ethiopia, Uganda, Rwanda and Zambia. Rainfall in these areas is higher and more reliable than in the pulse-growing belts further north, which is why beans rather than drought-tolerant pulses dominate there.
- Origin
- Tanzania · Ethiopia · Uganda
- Processing
- Whole, dried · Machine cleaned
- Crop year
- Stated on contract
- Packing
- 25 / 50 kg PP · FIBC
- Quantity
- Container quantities
- Incoterms
- FOB · CFR · CIF
- HS code
- 0713.33
- Availability
- Harvesting
Specification
Typical export specification
Indicative contract parameters, not laboratory results. The specification that applies is the one written into the contract.
Red Kidney Beans
Machine cleaned, size band per contract
- Product
- Red kidney beans, Phaseolus vulgaris
- Origin
- Tanzania, Ethiopia, Uganda, Zambia
- Crop year
- Stated on contract
- Moisture
- 14% max
- Purity
- 99% min
- Foreign matter
- 0.5% max
- Admixture
- 1% max
- Damaged and discoloured
- 2% max
- Broken and split
- 1% max
- Insect damaged
- 1% max
- Size
- 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 — Tighter moisture is specified for long transits; confirm against the route.
- Admixture — Other bean colours and types.
- Size — Contracted as count per 100 g; the band available depends on the crop.
- GMO status — There are no commercially cultivated genetically modified varieties of this crop.
- Colour uniformity and brightness are assessed against an approved sample, not from the written specification alone.
- Canning buyers usually run their own soak and cook trial before approving an origin.
Grades and forms
Available grades
Commercially distinct types, each contracted separately.
Light Red Kidney
The lighter red type, generally with a slightly paler seed coat. Traded alongside the dark type but priced separately, since buyers specify one or the other.
Dark Red Kidney
The deeper red type, covered on its own page. Colour depth is the defining commercial parameter and is approved on 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
- 25 kg multiwall paper bag
- Buyer-branded bags
- Jumbo bag / FIBC
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 red kidney
- Colour depth and uniformity
- Approved on an agreed sample. Two lots meeting the same written specification can be judged differently on appearance, so the sample governs.
- Size (count per 100 g)
- Contracted as a band. A lower count means a larger bean. Which bands are available depends on the crop and is confirmed against the current harvest.
- Moisture
- Commonly 14% max, but the right ceiling depends on transit time and destination humidity. Set it against the route rather than the template.
- Cooking behaviour
- Canners test soak ratio, split rate and colour retention on their own equipment. A sample assessed early saves a great deal of time later.
- Admixture of other bean types
- Other colours are immediately visible in a red bean lot and are usually the first thing a buyer notices on arrival.
- Broken, split and damaged seed
- Beans are large-seeded and take handling damage. Splits and skin damage matter more for canning than for milling markets.
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.
Origin and sourcing
Where this commodity is sourced
Sourced through established growers, aggregators and processors, with origin, crop and lot confirmed on each offer. Seasonal position is derived from the published crop calendar.
Typical sourcing window
Harvest Export
- TanzaniaMay–Jul · Jun–Oct
- UgandaJun–Jan · Jan–Aug
- RwandaJan–Jul · Feb–Aug
- BurundiJan–Jul · Feb–Aug
Tanzania: harvest May–Jul, export window Jun–Oct. Uganda: harvest Jun–Jan, export window Jan–Aug. Rwanda: harvest Jan–Jul, export window Feb–Aug. Burundi: harvest Jan–Jul, export window Feb–Aug.
Indicative windows from the published crop calendar, not a live stock position.
More on red kidney
The commodity is bought by three quite different kinds of buyer. Canners take the largest volumes and are the most technically demanding: they run their own soak, cook and texture trials before approving an origin, because a bean that splits in the can or fails to hold colour is unusable regardless of what the specification sheet says. Retail packers buy on appearance — colour depth, brightness and size uniformity — since much of the product reaches consumers in transparent packaging. Food service and institutional buyers work mainly to price at a machine-cleaned specification.
Size is contracted as count per 100 g, which is the standard basis in the bean trade: a lower count means a larger bean. Buyers work to a band rather than a single figure, and which bands a season yields depends on the crop, so the available band is confirmed against the current harvest rather than promised in advance.
Two commercial parameters do most of the work in a kidney bean contract. The first is colour: depth and uniformity of red are approved on an agreed sample, and two lots that meet the same written specification can be judged very differently on appearance. The second is moisture. Beans are contracted at a higher moisture ceiling than smaller pulses — commonly 14% max — but the correct figure depends on transit time and destination humidity, and it should be set against the route rather than copied from a template.
Processing at origin also matters for buyers who cook the product. Canners and industrial processors work to established cook regimes for kidney beans and will assess an origin against their own process, so the practical route to approval is a representative sample early, not a longer specification.
Also traded as rajma · light red kidney beans · LRKB · red beans · light red kidney. 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
- Canning
- Retail packing
- Food service and institutional
- South Asian retail (rajma)
Frequently asked questions
Size is contracted as count per 100 g, with buyers working to a band rather than a single figure. Which bands a season yields depends on the crop, so rather than publish a standing figure, the available band is confirmed against the current harvest at the time of enquiry.
Colour depth. Dark red kidney beans have a deeper, more saturated red seed coat; the light red type is paler. Buyers specify one or the other and they price differently, so the type should be stated in the enquiry and approved against a sample.
Canning buyers approve an origin on their own process trial, assessing soak ratio, split rate after processing and colour retention. The practical route is to send a representative sample of the crop being offered so the trial can be run before the contract is concluded.
14% max is a common contract ceiling for dry beans, but the right figure depends on transit time and destination humidity. Longer routes and humid discharge ports justify a tighter ceiling, and it should be agreed against the actual route.
The Tanzanian Southern Highlands crop is harvested from around May to July with the export window running to about September or October. Ethiopia harvests later in the calendar year. Uganda and Rwanda have two seasons. See the crop calendar for the full picture.
Catalogue
Related pulses and beans
Light Speckled Kidney Beans
Tanzania · Uganda · Rwanda
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White Kidney Beans
Ethiopia · Tanzania
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Black Beans
Tanzania · Ethiopia
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Request a current red kidney 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