Mung Beans (Green Gram)
Tanzania · Kenya · Ethiopia
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East African Chickpeas Exporter
Kabuli and Desi chickpeas from East African origins, principally Ethiopia, contracted on calibrated size, purity and moisture against the buyer's requirement.
Chickpeas divide into two commercial types that share a botanical name and almost nothing else in trading terms. Kabuli is the large, cream-coloured, thin-skinned type sold whole into retail, canning and food service, and priced primarily on calibrated size. Desi is the smaller, darker, thicker-skinned type grown mainly for milling into split chana dal and besan flour, and priced on milling yield. An enquiry that says "chickpeas" without saying which type has not started the conversation.
- Origin
- Ethiopia · Tanzania
- Processing
- Whole, dried · Machine cleaned
- Crop year
- Stated on contract
- Packing
- 25 / 50 kg PP
- Quantity
- Container quantities
- Incoterms
- FOB · CFR · CIF
- HS code
- 0713.20
- Availability
- Available
Specification
Typical export specification
Indicative contract parameters, not laboratory results. The specification that applies is the one written into the contract.
Kabuli Chickpeas
Cream-coloured large-seeded type, graded by size
- Product
- Kabuli chickpeas, Cicer arietinum
- Origin
- Ethiopia, Tanzania
- Crop year
- Stated on contract
- Moisture
- 10% 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.
- Admixture — Off-type and off-colour seed.
- Size — Kabuli is traded on calibrated size bands; the band available depends on the crop and origin.
- GMO status — There are no commercially cultivated genetically modified varieties of this crop.
- Size band is the primary price driver for Kabuli chickpeas and must be stated in the enquiry.
- East African Kabuli availability by size varies significantly by season. Confirm before contracting.
Desi Chickpeas
Small-seeded brown type for milling and splitting
- Product
- Desi chickpeas, Cicer arietinum
- Origin
- Ethiopia, Tanzania
- Crop year
- Stated on contract
- Moisture
- 10% max
- Purity
- 98% min
- Foreign matter
- 1% max
- Admixture
- 2% max
- Damaged and discoloured
- 2% max
- Broken and split
- 2% max
- Insect damaged
- 2% 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.
- Size — Desi is normally contracted on a screen size or on an approved sample.
- GMO status — There are no commercially cultivated genetically modified varieties of this crop.
- Milling buyers usually assess splitting yield on a sample rather than on the written specification alone.
Grades and forms
Available grades
Commercially distinct types, each contracted separately.
Kabuli Chickpeas
The large, cream-coloured, thin-skinned type with the characteristic ram-head shape and beak. Sold whole and traded on calibrated size bands, which are the principal driver of price.
- Seed colour
- Cream to pale beige
- Traded on
- Calibrated size band
Desi Chickpeas
The smaller, darker, thicker-skinned type, angular in shape and generally brown to dark brown. Grown principally for milling into split dal and flour.
- Seed colour
- Light brown to dark brown
- Traded on
- Screen size and milling yield
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
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 chickpeas
- Size calibration (Kabuli)
- The dominant price factor. Bands are produced by calibrated screening and what a season yields depends on the crop, so the band is confirmed against the current harvest.
- Colour and skin condition
- Kabuli buyers assess background colour and skin damage closely, because both are visible in a retail pack and both affect appearance after cooking.
- Moisture
- Typically 10% max, tighter than most pulses. Chickpeas are prone to skin damage and to quality loss in storage at higher moisture.
- Milling yield (Desi)
- Assessed on a sample rather than from the specification. Experienced buyers run their own splitting trial before approving a lot.
- Damaged and insect-damaged seed
- Bore holes and internal damage show clearly on a light-coloured seed. Density separation removes much of it; hand picking is used where the visual standard demands it.
- Foreign matter and stone
- Tolerances are tight, particularly for canners and packers, because stone reaches the consumer if it is not removed at origin.
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
- EthiopiaDec–Feb · Jan–May
- TanzaniaJun–Aug · Jul–Oct
Ethiopia: harvest Dec–Feb, export window Jan–May. Tanzania: harvest Jun–Aug, export window Jul–Oct.
Indicative windows from the published crop calendar, not a live stock position.
More on chickpeas
Within East Africa, Ethiopia is the origin that matters. It produces both types at commercial scale across the highlands of Amhara and Oromia, largely on residual soil moisture after the main rains, with the crop coming to market from the end of the calendar year. Tanzania grows chickpeas in the northern highland districts, but at volumes that are modest by comparison, and availability there needs to be confirmed rather than assumed.
For Kabuli, size is the price. The trade works in calibrated bands, and the difference in value between a small and a large calibration is substantial. What a season actually yields depends on growing conditions, so the honest position for any origin is that the available band is confirmed against the current crop — a supplier who promises a specific large calibration before the crop is graded is describing an intention, not an offer.
For Desi, the buyer's question is different: how much clean split dal, or how much good besan, comes out of a tonne. That is assessed on a sample, and experienced milling buyers will run their own trial rather than rely on the written specification.
This site treats chickpeas as an architecture-ready category. The structure, specifications and enquiry path are built out, and real availability by type, size band and origin is confirmed per season rather than published as a standing claim.
Also traded as garbanzo beans · chana · kabuli chana · desi chana · gram. 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
- Retail and food service (Kabuli)
- Canning (Kabuli)
- Milling and splitting (Desi)
- Hummus and prepared foods
Frequently asked questions
Kabuli is the large, cream-coloured, thin-skinned type sold whole and priced on calibrated size. Desi is smaller, darker and thicker-skinned, grown mainly for splitting into chana dal and milling into besan flour and priced on milling yield. They are different commercial products with different buyers, and an enquiry should state which one is required.
Kabuli is traded on calibrated size bands, and which bands a crop yields depends on the growing season. Rather than publish a standing claim, availability by band is confirmed against the current crop at the time of enquiry. State the band you need and the quantity, and it can be checked against what is actually gradeable.
Ethiopia is the principal origin, producing both Kabuli and Desi at commercial scale in the highlands of Amhara and Oromia. Tanzania grows chickpeas in the northern highland districts at more modest volume. Ethiopian cargo exports through Djibouti; Tanzanian cargo through Dar es Salaam.
The Ethiopian crop is largely planted on residual moisture after the main rains and harvested from around December to February, with export shipping in the months that follow. The smaller Tanzanian crop follows a different pattern, harvested mid-year. See the crop calendar and treat the windows as indicative.
Hand picking over a sorting belt is used where the visual standard required is above what machine cleaning and colour sorting alone achieve, which happens most often on Kabuli grades destined for retail. It is slow and adds cost, so it is quoted specifically rather than assumed.
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