Overview
This project aims to develop socially inclusive and competitive value chains of chickpeas, lentils, and mung beans in Pakistan's Punjab and Sindh provinces, with spill-over effects to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
One of the most important agrifood systems in Pakistan are pulses, mainly chickpeas, lentils and mung beans which are well suited to smallholder farming by both men and women.
Although other developing countries such as Myanmar have shown that the pulses industry can be productive, domestic production in Pakistan has declined over recent decades and now falls well short of demand.
Declining production in the face of rising prices and demand is attributed to low profitability of pulses relative to other crops, lack of innovation, poor quality product delivered to domestic consumers and lack of policy support. Improving the performance of the pulses industry therefore represents an important poverty reduction, nutrition security and economic growth opportunity, requiring approaches that adopt a farmer-to-consumer perspective.
Expected project outcomes
- Identifying and analysing barriers, opportunities and options for developing inclusive competitive pulses value chains.
- Strengthening the capacities of pulses industry stakeholders and actors.
- Informing policy that facilitates the development of inclusive competitive pulses value chains.
- Demonstrating successful value chain development methods and practices for scaling out of pulses value chains.
