Mandalay market was bustling with trading activity of chickpeas and lablab beans in the third week of September upon strong demand from charity drives for donations to the flood-hit area.

Chickpeas are heavily reliant on domestic consumption. Therefore, the demand for millers is highly correlated with price fluctuation, according to the Mandalay commodity depot.

The chickpea is commonly cultivated in October-November and harvested in January-April. It is primarily grown in Bago, Ayeyawady, Sagaing, Magway and Mandalay regions.

Next, lablab bean is highly consumed in the domestic market, and it is also exported to foreign markets.  China is the leading buyer of Myanmar’s lablab bean. The beans are also shipped to India and Japan. Additionally, Myanmar was able to export lablab beans as ready-to-eat roasted beans to Singapore with value-addition.The lablab bean is a cold-season crop primarily grown in the Mandalay, Sagaing, and Magway regions. It is usually harvested in January.