Figure 2-14b: Producer prices of pigeonpea in South Asia (source: calculated from FAOSTAT, 2010)
The SSA region is projected to continue to be net exporter of pigeonpea through the next 20 years (Table 2-16). The major exporters are expected to be Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, and Tanzania; Burundi would also have a small amount of surplus production. Malawi’s export of pigeonpea is projected to grow at 22.8% per annum over the period from 2010 to 2020. Africa’s total export by 2020 is estimated at nearly 427,000 MT. Producer prices varied from country to country in the SA region as well but were not as severe as in the SSA region (Figure 2-14b). For example, producer prices in India ranged from US$ 391 per MT in 2003 to US$ 317 per MT in 2008 (the average for 1991 to 2008 was approximately US$ 388 per MT). Just as in common bean, the major drawback for producer price of pigeonpea is the lack of grading and standards. Prices are usually set by buyers who collect all grades (including varietal mixtures and high levels of foreign material) and pay the same price for all. They do the cleaning and get premium prices. Farmers have no incentive to bring to the market purified grain as there is no premium for quality. Impurities emanate from poor post-harvest handling of the crop at the farm level. Farmers use human labor or domestic animals to transport and thresh the harvest; the harvesting ground is not plastered and no canvas is used in almost all instances. The grain thus collects a lot of dust and dirt, and at times gets mixed up with animal dung and urine.
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