Pluses
Mung Beans
Mung bean is a recent introduction in Ethiopian pulse production grown in limited area in smaller quantity. The plants look more like a garden bean than a soybean plant, being about 24 to 30 inches tall, and having a moderate number or branches with smaller leaves than soybeans. Pods are 3 to 4 inches long, each having 10 to 15 seeds. It has green or yellow skin and sweet in flavor. It is drought resistant crop compared to other pulse crops. However, its consumption is not widespread like the other pulses in the country. The main production areas of mung bean in Ethiopia are Amhara Region North, Shewa zone and some parts of Benishangul Gumuz. Mung beans are high in nutrients and antioxidants, which may provide health benefits. In fact, they may protect against heat stroke, aid digestive health, promote weight loss and lower “bad” LDL cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar levels.
Soya Beans
Ethiopia’s production in soybean has increased by over 100-fold in the last decade, with a compound growth of 46% in the last three years. And also, it is after conducted deep-dive analyses, one among the ten promising investment opportunities (Ethiopia is endowed with favorable climatic and soil conditions for production in South and Western Ethiopia. Soybean grows in altitudes ranging from 1250-2200m.a.s.l. It is gaining ground internationally due to its multiuse use as human food, livestock feed, manufacturing purposes, and more recently, as a source of bio-energy. Currently it also comes to be the world’s most important source of vegetable oil. It contains 40% protein compared to 20% and 13% protein content in meat and egg, respectively. Moreover, it contains 20% non-cholesterol oil and its fortified foodstuffs are considerably low-priced than other sources of high-quality protein.
Chickpea
Chickpea, locally known as Shimbra, is one of the major and most important pulse crops in Ethiopia. The bulk of the crop variety in the country is dominated by the sweet Desi type, and the Kabuli type is also grown in limited areas. In Ethiopia chickpeas are consumed widely fresh as green vegetables, sprouted, fried roasted and boiled. The two major regions, Amhara and Oromia, make up more than 90% of the total supply of chickpeas followed by Tigray and SNNP. Ethiopian Chickpea production consists of 70% of Desi and the rest 30% is a Kabuli Chickpea type.
Lentil
Lentil is one of the major highland pulses of Ethiopia that grows in rotation with tef, wheat and barley particularly on the heavy black soils. It is an important part of the farming system and essential to nutrition in the subsistence farming community in Ethiopia. It is one of the heavily consumed pulse crops in Ethiopia and is a popular ingredient of every day diet in the majority of households.It is also an invaluable source of protein (23-24%) for the vast majority of Ethiopian masses. Lentil production is mainly depending on soil type, altitude and agro-ecologic conditions. The country covers 69.4% of the areas devoted to lentil and 81.5% of the total production in Africa.
Kidney Beans
Ethiopian organically grown high quality white and red kidney beans crop. They are rich in proteins; red kidney beans are well-liked for their sweet flavor and light texture. These dried beans are some of the most frequently eaten in the world. Like all dried legumes, it is among the plant-based foods that are richest in protein, yet unlike animal proteins, they are still fat-free. These two characteristics provide major health benefits, contributing to a balanced, low-cost diet.