Depleted chickpea crops across world as prices of hummus products surge this year
Hummus lovers may be forced to cough up more for their favourite snack as global chickpea supplies are set to be depleted this year, amid the war in Ukraine.
Poor weather and the war between Russia and Ukraine has dealt a blow to farmers growing the protein.
Chickpea supplies could be down some 20 per cent this year, the Global Pulse Confederation has estimated.
The US, the fourth largest chickpea exporter in the world, planted a reduced number of the pulses this year due to bad weather and farmers prioritising pricier crops like wheat.
Russia and Ukraine are also big chickpea producers, with the conflict affecting harvests.
A beleaguered crop in Ukraine saw Europe exports depleted by some 50,000 tonnes, according to Shree Sheela International, a global chickpea trader and brokerage firm.
Slimmer harvests in Europe saw elevated demand for US supplies, despite the smaller harvest.
“When the Russia-Ukraine war broke out, the demand boomed,” said Jeff Van Pevenage, chief executive officer of a chickpea supplier in Oregon, Columbia Grain International, told the Reuters news agency.
He added: “We saw strong demand from China, then it was calls from customers in Pakistan and Bangladesh.”
Brits have seen food prices shoot up in recent months with businesses grappling with increased costs for energy and labour.
Prices of various hummus products in major UK supermarkets have increased by as much as 100 per cent since the start of the year, according to data supplied to the Guardian by insights firm Assosia.
However, some products have not marked price increases or lifted by a relatively small percentage.