If the end of the world couldn’t be more nigh, Australia’s favourite dip (presumably) — hummus — could be few far and in-between thanks to another global shortage.
CHICKPEAS!
Heavens above, to what end? TO WHAT END! Anyway.
According to the Global Pulse Confederation, global supplies of chickpeas could drop by 20 per cent this year, which is a devastating drop considering over 11-million tonnes of chickpeas are produced on average per year.
Where does this shortage stem from? Lack of pea-ce (sorry for the pun) in Northern Europe per Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and of course the carbon fueled (sorry, not sorry for saying it) botched weather that the entire world is experiencing right now.
Director of global chickpea trader and brokerage firm Shree Sheela International, Navneet Singh Chhabra, told Reuters that Ukrainian farmers missed out on exporting 50,000 tonnes of chickpeas to Europe due to the war preventing their harvest.
Sanctions imposed on Russia have caused global buyers to bid farewell to the country’s bountiful chickpea supplies.
“Russia is exporting around 200,000 to 250,000 tonnes, minimum, per year year,” Chhabra said.
“When the war started in February, the supply was destroyed, totally.”
As for the weather, in the United States — the fourth-largest chickpea exporter in the world — Farmers opted to plant less chickpea crops due to horrendous forecasts.
Mexico, another huge exporter of pulses, also harvested fewer crops thanks to atrocious weather.
Oh yeah, and you know the floods plaguing much of Australia’s east coast? The rain has literally been drowning our chickpea crops.
Even our grazing boards are getting shafted.
