Desi Chickpeas: export from Canada to ASEAN

Desi chickpeas are the smaller, darker, thicker-skinned type, and they are a different commercial product from kabuli rather than a cheaper version of it. The primary use is milling (into split chana and into besan flour) so the attributes that matter are dhal yield, colour after splitting, and how cleanly the skin comes away.

Canadian desi production is smaller than kabuli and concentrated on the prairies. For buyers supplying millers, the relevant conversation is about yield rather than appearance: a lot that looks unremarkable in the bag can mill well, and a lot that looks good can mill poorly.

Specify whether you are buying for whole sale or for milling, because it changes which grade you should be quoted and which defects actually matter. Foreign material and moisture matter in both cases; skin damage matters far more for milling.

As with every pulse on this site, the harvest is annual and quality varies between crop years. Buyers running continuous programmes should contract forward rather than assume spot availability at a stable specification.