Global supplies of chickpeas, the main ingredient of hummus, could fall as much as 20 percent this year, according to Reuters.
The war in Ukraine and the weather have hurt supplies, which in turn drives up prices and creates headaches for food manufacturers.
United States is the fourth largest chickpea exporter and farmers have planted fewer chickpeas this year as weather impacted spring planting, forcing them to prioritize crops like wheat and corn.
Chickpeas are gaining popularity in the United States, but have been key to the diets to those who live in India and the Middle East, which are already struggling to overcome rising food costs.
Columbia Grain International Chief Executive Officer, Jeff Van Pevenage says when the war broke out, the demand skyrocketed. He says, “We saw strong demand from China, then it was calls from customers in Pakistan and Bangladesh.”
Ukraine was not able to seed its total crop due to the war, forcing them to remove 50,000 tons normally bound for Europe.
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Story via P.j. Huffstutter and Christopher Walljasper with Reuters
