Pigeon Peas
Tanzania · Malawi · Mozambique
View productPulses
East African Cowpeas Exporter
White, red and black-eyed cowpeas from Tanzania and the wider region, cleaned and graded for retail packers, distributors and food processors.
Cowpeas are grown across the drier districts of East and Southern Africa, where their tolerance of heat and low rainfall makes them a more reliable crop than most alternatives. They are a staple food across the region and a substantial internationally traded pulse, moving into West African, European, North American and Middle Eastern markets where they are cooked whole.
- Origin
- Tanzania · Malawi · Mozambique
- Processing
- Whole, dried · Machine cleaned
- Crop year
- Stated on contract
- Packing
- 25 / 50 kg PP
- Quantity
- Container quantities
- Incoterms
- FOB · CFR · CIF
- HS code
- 0713.35
- Availability
- Available
Specification
Typical export specification
Indicative contract parameters, not laboratory results. The specification that applies is the one written into the contract.
White Cowpeas
Cream/white cowpeas, machine cleaned
- Product
- White cowpeas, Vigna unguiculata
- Origin
- Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Uganda
- Crop year
- Stated on contract
- Moisture
- 12% 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
- Immature and shrivelled
- 1% max
- 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 — Other cowpea colours and types.
- Insect damaged — Bruchid activity is the main quality risk in cowpeas; storage and treatment matter as much as cleaning.
- GMO status — There are no commercially cultivated genetically modified varieties of this crop.
- Colour sorted specification available where the buyer requires a higher visual grade.
Black-Eyed Beans
White cowpeas with the characteristic dark hilum ring
- Product
- Black-eyed beans / black-eyed peas, Vigna unguiculata
- Origin
- Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique
- Crop year
- Stated on contract
- Moisture
- 12% 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
- Eye definition
- Distinct, as per approved sample
- 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.
- GMO status — There are no commercially cultivated genetically modified varieties of this crop.
- Buyers in retail-facing markets normally contract this line colour sorted, because eye definition and background whiteness drive the visual grade.
Grades and forms
Available grades
Commercially distinct types, each contracted separately.
White Cowpeas
Cream to white seed with a small, pale hilum and no pronounced dark ring. The general-purpose type, traded in volume for cooking and retail.
- Seed colour
- Cream to white
- Eye
- Small and pale
Red Cowpeas
Red to reddish-brown seeded types serving specific regional and diaspora demand. A distinct line, not a grade of the white crop, and not interchangeable with it.
- Seed colour
- Red to reddish-brown
- Volume
- Lower than white; availability varies
Black-Eyed Beans
White cowpeas with a pronounced dark ring around the hilum. Recognised internationally as a product in its own right and normally contracted to a higher visual standard than general white cowpeas.
- Seed colour
- White with a distinct dark eye
- Key parameter
- Eye definition and background whiteness
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
- Private label / customised packing
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 cowpeas
- Insect damage
- The defining risk in cowpeas. Bruchid attack continues in store, and because damaged seed keeps its dimensions, density separation rather than screening is what removes it.
- Colour type and admixture
- White, red and black-eyed are separate products. Mixed types in a lot devalue it, and admixture tolerances are correspondingly tight.
- Eye definition (black-eyed)
- A clear, well-defined eye against a clean white background is what black-eyed buyers pay for, and it is approved on sample rather than described in a specification.
- Discolouration
- Weather staining and storage discolouration show clearly on a pale seed. Colour sorting is normal for retail-facing contracts.
- Moisture
- Typically 12% max. Higher moisture accelerates both discolouration and insect activity in the bag.
- Broken and split seed
- Generated in threshing and handling. Reduced by careful handling and screening, never eliminated entirely.
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–Aug · Jun–Oct
- MalawiMay–Jul · Jun–Sep
- MozambiqueMay–Aug · Jun–Oct
- UgandaJun–Jan · Jan–Aug
Tanzania: harvest May–Aug, export window Jun–Oct. Malawi: harvest May–Jul, export window Jun–Sep. Mozambique: harvest May–Aug, export window Jun–Oct. Uganda: harvest Jun–Jan, export window Jan–Aug.
Indicative windows from the published crop calendar, not a live stock position.
More on cowpeas
The commodity is traded by colour type, and the types are commercially distinct. White cowpeas — cream-coloured with a small, pale hilum — are the general-purpose line. Black-eyed beans are white cowpeas with a pronounced dark ring around the hilum, sold as a recognised product in their own right and usually to a higher visual standard, because the eye definition and the whiteness of the background are exactly what the consumer sees through the pack. Red and brown cowpeas serve their own regional demand and should not be offered as a substitute for either.
Naming causes more confusion here than with any other pulse on this site. "Cowpeas", "black-eyed beans", "black-eyed peas", "lobia" and "niébé" all appear in enquiries, and the same word can mean slightly different things to a West African importer and a European retail packer. The practical safeguard is to agree the type against a sample rather than to rely on the name alone.
The dominant quality risk is insect damage. Cowpeas are highly susceptible to bruchid attack in storage, and infestation that starts in the field continues in the bag. Because damaged seed keeps its shape but loses density, gravity separation is the tool that removes it — screening will not. Good storage discipline and appropriate treatment between harvest and shipment matter as much as the cleaning line, and buyers with experience in this commodity ask about both.
Beyond that, the parameters are conventional: moisture, purity, foreign matter, admixture of other colours, broken and discoloured seed. For retail-facing contracts, a colour-sorted specification is normal, because discolouration and off-colour seed are highly visible against a white background.
Also traded as black-eyed beans · black-eyed peas · black eye beans · blackeye peas · blackeye beans · lobia · niebe · kunde. 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 packing
- Food service and catering
- Regional African trade
- Food processing
Frequently asked questions
Black-eyed beans are a type of cowpea — white cowpeas with a pronounced dark ring around the hilum. All black-eyed beans are cowpeas; not all cowpeas are black-eyed. Because the eye is what the buyer is paying for, black-eyed contracts are usually written to a higher visual standard and colour sorted.
White, red and black-eyed types are all produced, principally in Tanzania and the wider region. They are commercially distinct products with different buyers and prices, so the type should be stated in the enquiry and confirmed against a sample.
Cowpeas are highly susceptible to bruchid beetles, which attack the seed in the field and continue to develop in storage. The damaged seed keeps its shape, so screening does not remove it — density separation on a gravity table does. Storage conditions and treatment between harvest and shipment matter as much as the cleaning specification.
Tanzanian, Malawian and Mozambican cowpeas are harvested from around May to August, with the export window running through to around September or October. Uganda and Kenya harvest on a bimodal pattern with two smaller windows. See the crop calendar; timing shifts with rainfall.
Yes, and for retail-facing contracts it is normal. Discolouration and off-colour seed are highly visible against a white background, so optical sorting is usually specified where the product reaches the consumer in a transparent pack.
Catalogue
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Request a current cowpeas 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
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