Chickpea Market Size & Share Analysis - Growth Trends and Forecast (2026 - 2031)

Global Chickpea Market Trends and Insights

Expanding Vegan and Flexitarian Populations

The global shift toward plant-based diets is a significant factor driving the demand for chickpeas. As consumers reduce meat consumption for health, environmental, and ethical reasons, chickpeas are increasingly utilized as a protein-rich alternative in daily diets. They are commonly used in products such as hummus, falafel, plant-based snacks, dairy alternatives, and ready-to-eat meals. In North America and Europe, the rise of flexitarian consumers has boosted retail sales of hummus and chickpea-based pasta, increasing demand for Kabuli chickpeas from exporters like India and Mexico. Additionally, urban consumers in India and China have adopted roasted chickpea snacks as an affordable protein source, contributing to increased demand in metropolitan areas. In 2025, a collaborative study conducted by YouGov and Veganuary estimated that around 25.8 million people worldwide attempted veganism. These dietary shifts are driving volume growth while reducing dependence on price-sensitive traditional markets.

Surge in Pulse-Based Protein Isolates for Functional Foods

Chickpeas are increasingly being processed into protein isolates and flours, which are utilized in sports nutrition, meat alternatives, and gluten-free products. Food manufacturers prefer chickpea protein for its neutral taste, clean-label attributes, and allergen-friendly profile compared to soy. In the United States and Europe, plant-based meat brands are incorporating chickpea protein into products such as burgers and protein snacks, boosting the demand for processing-grade chickpeas. Chickpea flour, with protein content and neutral flavor, is a favored gluten-free ingredient. Tortilla formulations containing 30% chickpea flour offer higher levels of iron and potassium while maintaining flexibility, thereby expanding options for healthier snack wraps^{[1]Source: Institute of Food Technologists, “Chickpea Flour Elevates Iron and Potassium in Gluten-Free Tortillas While Preserving Flexibility,” ift.org}. As processing efficiency improves, ingredient costs are projected to decline, further supporting demand growth.

Growth of Gluten-Free Bakery and Snack Categories

With increasing awareness of gluten intolerance, chickpea flour (besan) is widely used in gluten-free bakery products, snacks, and extruded items. Its high protein and fiber content enhances nutritional labeling claims, making it attractive to health-conscious consumers. In Europe, gluten-free snack manufacturers are increasingly incorporating chickpea flour into crackers and baked chips, driving demand in value-added chickpea segments. In addition, countries like Malawi and Tanzania have launched initiatives supported by multilateral donors to promote biofortified legumes as solutions for nutrition and climate resilience. Premium pricing and nitrogen-fixation benefits encourage smallholder farmers to adopt these seeds, supporting future acreage expansion and market growth.

Government Biofortification Programs for Climate-Smart Legumes

Several governments are promoting chickpea cultivation due to its nitrogen-fixing properties and resilience in semi-arid climates. Chickpeas enhance soil fertility and reduce dependency on chemical fertilizers, aligning with sustainable agriculture objectives. In countries like India and Ethiopia, government-backed pulse production initiatives have expanded chickpea acreage, stabilizing domestic supply while enhancing export potential. In 2025, the Department of Agricultural Statistics introduced a new chickpea variety, JG-14, in the DSSAT framework to support sustainable agricultural development^{[2]Source: Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, “Department of Agricultural Statistics Introduces Chickpea Variety JG-14 Into the DSSAT Framework,” agricoop.nic.in}.

Yield Volatility from El Niño-Linked Drought Cycles

Chickpea production is highly influenced by rainfall patterns. El Niño events frequently result in droughts in major producing regions, including Australia, parts of Africa, and South America, which lead to reduced yields and supply shortages. During drought years in Australia, chickpea production experiences significant declines, causing global price increases and constrained supply in export markets. Farmers in semi-arid regions often shift acreage to more drought-resistant pulses or cereals during predicted El Niño years, further exacerbating supply constraints. While breeding programs are advancing the development of drought-escape varieties, widespread adoption is still several seasons away. Adaptation measures include the development of drought-tolerant varieties and the use of supplemental irrigation systems. Research suggests that early sowing and short-duration cultivars can help mitigate some yield losses.

Post-Harvest Mycotoxin Contamination Risks

Improper storage under humid conditions can lead to fungal growth and aflatoxin contamination, particularly in tropical regions. This impacts export quality standards and can lead to shipment rejections. In East Africa, inadequate storage infrastructure has caused export losses due to contamination levels exceeding European Union safety standards. Emerging technologies, such as plasma treatment and controlled-atmosphere storage, show potential, the required capital investments are often not viable for small-scale traders. The economic impact extends beyond direct losses, as contamination risks increase insurance costs and necessitate investments in detection and management systems throughout the supply chain.

*Our forecasts treat driver/restraint impacts as directional, not additive. The impact forecasts reflect baseline growth, mix effects, and variable interactions.

Geography Analysis

Asia-Pacific is the largest region, holding 35.5% of the chickpea market share in 2025. The chickpea market is influenced by established culinary traditions and the increasing use of packaged foods. The market size, linked to regional processing clusters, is projected to grow as multinational snack brands source from dedicated hubs. Regional dynamics highlight varying consumption patterns and production capabilities, which are reshaping global trade flows.

Africa is the fastest-growing region in the market, with a projected CAGR of 6.91% through 2031. Growth is driven by biofortification initiatives in Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Malawi, alongside the recovery of tourism and food service sectors. Ethiopia has used digital extension platforms to improve yields and meet export-quality standards, in compliance with European Union import protocols. Donor-funded biofortification projects have introduced high-iron chickpea varieties, enhancing domestic nutrition and positioning the region for premium export opportunities.

The North American chickpea market is supported by the growth of plant-based product launches and the increasing adoption of ethnic cuisines. Chickpea production is primarily concentrated in the United States, particularly in Montana and North Dakota, where chickpeas are incorporated into wheat rotations due to their agronomic benefits. North America and Europe dominate premium segments focused on high-protein flours and isolates, catering to flexitarian product lines. Recent industry consolidation, such as Above Food’s acquisition of The Redwood Group’s specialty crop division, highlights efforts to secure a consistent supply in these mature yet innovation-driven markets. Chickpea production for 2024 totaled 54.2 million metric tons, an increase compared to the 37.0 million metric tons produced in the previous year. The planted area was at 393,370 acres, increases by 271,790 acres from 2023^{[3]Source: USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, “Spotlight on Global Chickpea Exports 2025,” fas.usda.gov}.

Regulatory Landscape

Global chickpea trade is anchored on food-safety and quality standards that govern moisture, defects, and grade tolerances across origins and destination markets. Codex Alimentarius (Codex Stan 171-1989) sets a reference maximum moisture level of 14% for chickpeas under moderate climate conditions, while major exporters apply country-specific grading systems such as USDA AMS U.S. Standards for Beans (Chickpea/Garbanzo Beans) and the Canadian Grain Commission official grading guide for chickpeas (including grade-determining factors and foreign material limits for Canada Western Kabuli and Desi shipments).

In India, trade compliance is shaped by tariff administration and government market interventions. In June 2026, the Office of the Commissioner of Customs (JNCH, Nhava Sheva) withdrew consultative letters issued to 132 importers and confirmed the classification of Desi Chana under tariff item 0713 20 20, helping reduce classification disputes at import clearance. Separately, pulse import duties remained in place in FY26 (with chana referenced around the 10% to 11% range in market reporting), and procurement agencies such as Nafed and NCCF managed gram buffer stocks (reported around 1.1 million tonnes as of May 2026), which influences domestic price stabilization and the timing of import demand.

Value Chain Analysis

The chickpea value chain runs from input supply (seed systems, fertilizer and crop protection, mechanization services, and farm credit) through production, aggregation, processing, and downstream distribution. Producers range from smallholders in South Asia and parts of Africa to mechanized farms in Australia and North America; village-level dealers, brokers, and cooperatives aggregate volumes, then millers and ingredient processors convert chickpeas into split pulses, flour (besan), and protein ingredients used in snacks, bakery, and plant-based formulations. Exporters and global merchants manage cleaning, grading, storage, and container/bulk logistics into import channels serving food manufacturers, retail, and foodservice.

Seasonality and origin diversification are central to how the chain balances supply. India typically harvests its winter crop in Q1, while Australia harvests later in the calendar year, creating shifting availability windows that traders use for multi-origin blending. Government and industry reporting highlights variability across origins, including increased Canadian output in the 2025/2026 season (around 482,000 tonnes versus 287,000 tonnes in 2024/2025) and a 7% decline in U.S. chickpea availability during 2025. Common bottlenecks include limited transparent market information and credit access at farmgate, infrastructure gaps in transport and storage, and quality losses (including contamination risk) that push costs upward through sorting, testing, and rework before export.

Market Opportunities and Future Outlook

Varietal and ingredient-led differentiation is opening whitespace beyond bulk whole-seed trade, particularly where food manufacturers want higher protein density and more consistent functional performance in flours and protein fractions. In March 2026, NuCicer and Stricks Ag announced a 10,000-acre commercial rollout of proprietary high-protein chickpea varieties for the 2026 growing season, a concrete step toward scaling identity-preserved supply for ingredient customers. This type of upstream contracting aligns with the report trend of processors and buyers pursuing traceable volumes for Europe and North America, and it supports product development in gluten-free bakery, snacks, and alternative-protein applications where chickpea protein competes with pea-based concentrates.

Opportunities also sit in yield and quality stabilization across emerging origins where export protocols are tightening. Programs referenced in the report context, such as biofortification and digital extension initiatives in Africa (Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Malawi) and government-linked variety development and decision-support tools in India (for example, integrating chickpea variety JG-14 into the DSSAT framework in 2025), create pathways for export-grade supply and differentiated nutrition claims. Alongside these, adoption of farm practices and inputs demonstrated to raise yields in rain-fed environments (for example, bio-stimulant use and extension-led demonstrations reported in agronomy studies) supports growers and aggregators seeking to reduce volatility from drought cycles and to meet stricter buyer specifications on moisture, defects, and safety.