Hummus shortage? Chickpea crops dwindling, prices rising this year

Chickpeas are seen in this stock photo. (Pexels)

New data suggests hummus, the chickpea-based dip, might soon become more expensive to serve in Canada and around the world.

As global droughts and extreme weather patterns damage crops, and supply chain disruptions impact distribution, chickpeas are the latest food commodity to be affected, according to data provided to CTVNews.ca by the Global Pulse Confederation (GPC), a non-profit representing various sectors of the industry.

The GPC suggests supplies of chickpeas could drop almost 20 per cent this year, increasing global prices for the protein-dense bean.

In Canada, GPC’s data points to a 17 per cent decline in seeding area for the 2022 to 2023 crop cycle.

With Russian sanctions and the ongoing invasion of Ukraine further disrupting supply chains, GPC anticipates the possibility of European demand for chickpeas diverting to Canada.

But Canada might not be able to meet increased demand.

Statistics Canada forecasts the approximate amount of Canadian-produced chickpeas in 2022 to 2023 to be around 110 kilotonnes. (One kilotonne is equal to 1,000 tonnes.)

By comparison, the 2020 to 2021 crop cycle produced 214 kilotonnes of chickpeas in Canada.

With no telling when the current war in Ukraine will end, the GPC anticipates the average global cost of pulse to rise 12 per cent this year.