Chickpeas

Kabuli and desi are different commercial products rather than two grades of one. Kabuli are large, pale and sold by calibre (the count per unit weight) with larger calibres commanding a premium for retail, canning and whole presentation. Desi are smaller, darker and thicker-skinned, bought principally for milling into split chana and besan flour.

For kabuli the buying decision is calibre against price, and availability at a specific large calibre is the constraint in a poor season rather than price. For desi it is milling yield, which does not correlate with how the lot looks in the bag.

Canadian production sits in southern Saskatchewan and Alberta, where the growing season suits the crop but makes it more weather-sensitive than lentils or peas.