The dip all hummus lovers feared: global supply of chickpeas collapses
IT’S LONG been a staple in Jewish homes and has become one of Britian’s favourite dips — but hummus lovers are set for a price shock due to a squeeze in the worldwide supply of chickpeas.
Reports suggest that the global stock of the pulse — the principal ingredient of hummus — could drop by as much as 20 per cent this year.
A combination of bad weather and the war in Ukraine is causing the shortage and, as a result, a wholesale price spike, according to data from lobby group the Global Pulse Confederation.
In addition to the collapse of exportable crops in Europe, farmers in the US chose to plant fewer chickpeas this year due to uncertain weather in the spring.
The disruption has already led to the retail price of some popular brands of hummus going up by more than ten per cent in the past few months. The supply and price of falafel is also being affected.
Global chickpea trader Navneet Singh Chhabra told news agency Reuters: “Russia was exporting around 200,000 to 250,000 tonnes, minimum, per year. When the war started in February, the supply was destroyed.”
Chickpeas are a staple food across much of the Middle East and Africa, but in recent years demand has spiked in Europe and the US as hummus and falafel have gained in popularity.
The wholesale price of chickpeas has already risen 17 per since the war began, with many in the industry predicting the spike could be far higher.
Jewish families already face an unprecedented rise in the cost of living with one retailer estimating that the cost of kosher food had increased by as much as 25 per cent this year, or four times the inflation rate for non-kosher food.