Final version of Tropical Legumes II Project Report for Phase 1 - icrisat

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Although Niger had the largest area under cultivation of 4 million hectares in the 2000s compared
to the 3.8 million hectares cultivated in Nigeria, Niger’s production was much lower at just about
770,000 MT compared to the 2.6 million MT of Nigeria. Among the factors that determine cowpea
production at national level in West Africa are the level of technology, cost of input (price/unit) for
cowpea production, prices of alternative crops, agro-ecological adaptations, and government policies
(especially with regard to incentives aimed at promoting cowpea production).
Million tonnes
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Beans Chick peas Cow peas
Groundnuts Soybeans
Source: Authors using FAO data
Figure 5-4: Global trends in production of major legumes, 1970-2009
It is indeed said that as result of research focused on supply-side factors, the share of cowpea production
among various grain legumes in Nigeria has increased since 1988, making Nigeria the largest cowpea
producing country in the world8. These factors have contributed to the wide disparity in productivity
levels with Niger having an average yield of 0.2 tonnes per hectare and Nigeria having 0.7 in the 2000s.
In addition to yield differences, the fact that Nigeria has a large population and cowpea as a food item
is popular implies that there are many internal incentives within the country for stimulating production.
These factors have led Nigeria to be the largest producer as well as consumer of cowpea globally.
If past trends in cowpea area expansion and yields continue into the future, global cowpea supply is
projected to reach 9.8 million tons in 2020 and 12.3 million tons in 2030, against the projected global
demand of nearly 8.5 million tons in 2020 and 11.2 million tons in 2030. In West and Central Africa,
which accounts for over 75% of global cowpea production, cowpea supply reaches an estimated 7.9
million tons in 2020 and 9.7 million tons in 2030, against the projected demand of nearly 7 million tons
in 2020 and 9 million tons in 2030. The baseline projections of cowpea supply and demand thus show
that, with historical area expansion and yield growth rates, cowpea production in West and Central Africa
will keep up with growing regional demand for cowpea due largely to increased demand in countries such
as Nigeria that will face the greatest deficits domestically. In West and Central Africa, cowpea demand is
projected to grow at a faster rate of 2.68% per year than supply (2.55%) over the period 2007-2030. The
alternative scenario represents a situation where future increases in cowpea production would come only
from area expansion—a scenario consistent with cowpea’s increased compatibility as a niche crop with
cereals such as sorghum and millet with potential for area expansion into drier and more marginal areas,
particularly in West and Central Africa. Under this scenario, global as well as regional cowpea supply will
fall short of demand. The projections of cowpea supply and demand under this alternative scenario show
that global cowpea supply reaches an estimated 7.9 million tons in 2020 and 8.9 million tons in 2030,
against the projected global demand of nearly 8.5 million tons in 2020 and 11.2 million tons in 2030.
With a regional supply of only 6 million tons in 2020 and 6.9 million tons in 2030 against the projected
demand of nearly 7 million tons in 2020 and 9 million tons in 2030, West and Central Africa will face
Progress of Phase 1
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