What are the prospects for niche legumes in 2021?

In 2020, beans became the only legume under which the acreage was increased. The EU is the main buyer of Ukrainian beans. For the period September-January, European countries increased the volume of purchases of Ukrainian beans by 31% compared to the same period last year.

Chickpeas show the opposite trend in almost all indicators – the sown area in 2020 was reduced, which led to a decrease in yield and export potential. Growth in demand from India may induce Ukrainian farmers to increase the area under chickpeas in 2021, analysts believe.

The area under lentils in 2020 was also reduced. Most likely, the areas under it in 2021 will remain unchanged.

As for peas, the current export price of Ukrainian peas is uncompetitive compared to the price of Russian origin, therefore importers prefer peas from Russia.