Nepal Brief Series: Lentil Production

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Lentil is the most important grain legume in Nepal in terms of area, production, and protein source-- covering more than 60 percent of the total pulses produced in Nepal. Area and production have almost doubled and yield has increased about 40 percent in the last two decades.

Lentils are mainly grown in the lowland Terai region of Nepal in rotation with cereals based on the availability of residual soil moisture after the harvesting of rice.

Ten high-yielding varieties have been released in Nepal so far; the recently released Sagun and Maheswor Bharati are bred at ICARDA and are specifically adapted for South Asia, while Barimasur 4, ILL 7716, ILL 7164, Simal, and Sisir are rich in Fe and Zn and have been promoted as crops to farmers.

The current world market for lentils is worth approximately US $1,667 billion, which is almost three times higher than what it was in 1999. Because of the increased world market price, the growth of export value has far exceeded the growth of production.

Lentils are the largest exported item among agricultural commodities from Nepal. Lentils from Nepal are receiving US $1,364 per metric ton which is high compared to the lentils from other countries. The Nepal Trade Integration Strategy has prioritized lentil as one of the 19 commodities with export potential in Nepal.

Health magazine has selected lentils as one of the five healthiest foods in the world.

Lentils (Lens culinaris) have been part of the human diet since aceramic (before pottery) Neolithic times, being one of the first crops domesticated in the Near East; archeological evidence shows they were eaten 9,500 to 13,000 years ago:: from the Paleolithic and Mesolithic layers of Franchthi Cave in Greece (13,000 to 9,500 years ago) and from the end-Mesolithic at Mureybit and Tell Abu Hureya in Syria, and about 8000 B.C. in the Jericho area of Palestine.1 There are hundreds of varieties of lentils, with as many as fifty or more cultivated for food. Lentils were a valuable crop in ancient Egypt. A depiction in the tomb of Rameses III shows a female servant preparing a meal of lentils. Lentil paste has also been discovered in Egyptian tombs at Thebes from 2200-2400 BC. Production of this cool season annual crop spread from the Near East to the Mediterranean area, Asia, Europe and finally the Western Hemisphere. It may have been introduced to the United States in the early 1900s.

Lentil Production in Nepal ____________________________________________________________________________Lentil is the most important grain legume in Nepal in terms of area, production, and protein source-- covering more than 60 percent of the total pulses produced in Nepal. Area and production have almost doubled and yield has increased about 40 percent in the last two decades. Lentils are mainly grown in the lowland Terai region of Nepal in rotation with cereals based on the availability of residual soil moisture after the harvesting of rice. It is generally planted in mid October to November and harvested in March and April. Commercial production of lentils is concentrated in the Terai because of favorable climate, prevailing soil conditions, and most importantly easy access to main highway routes.

A total of about 600,000 farm households are lentil growers throughout the nation. The majority of farmers are smallholders, cultivating only about 0.2 hectares (ha) of land. It is estimated that 70 percent of lentil production is consumed by the domestic market in Nepal. The area that is used to produce lentils has increased slightly from 178.7 thousand hectares in 2000-01 to 187.4 thousand ha in 2009-10. Nepal experienced a growth rate of 0.5 percent in 2009-2010. It is also estimated that about 93 percent of national demand is fulfilled by national production. There are 10-25 small scale VDC-level collectors, 10-15 district-level large collectors, and 3-5 district-level commission 1 Leah A. Zeldes (16 February 2011). "Eat this! Lentils, a prehistoric foodstuff". Dining Chicago. Chicago's Restaurant & Entertainment Guide.

agents in each district. There are about 18 large exporters and 5 district-based wholesaler/processors in Nepal involved in processing lentils.2

Development of high yielding varieties, improved production technologies, international support for research and development, high demand of Nepali red lentils in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, and good market prices have contributed to increasing trends. Ten varieties have been released so far; the recently released Sagun and Maheswor Bharati are bred at ICARDA and are specifically adapted for South Asia. Barimasur 4, ILL 7716, ILL 7164, Simal, and Sisir are rich in Fe and Zn and have been promoted as crops to farmers.3

International Trade__________________________________________________________________________________The FAO reported that the world production of lentils for calendar year 2009 was 3.917 million metric tons, primarily coming from Canada, India, Turkey and Australia. About a quarter of the worldwide production of lentils is from India, most of which is consumed in the domestic market. Canada is the largest export producer of lentils in the world, and Saskatchewan is the most important producing region in Canada (growing 99% of Canadian lentils).4 Statistics Canada estimates that Canadian lentil production for the 2009/10 year was a record 1.5 million metric tons. Still, South Asia is the largest lentil producing region in the world with a share of more than 50 percent in total area and 40 percent in total production. TThe most commonly grown type is the Laird lentil.

The current world market for lentils is worth approximately US $1,667 billion, which is almost three times higher than what it was in 1999 (FAOSTAT and ITC, 2011). Because of the increased world market price, the growth of export value has far exceeded the growth of production. Yield is low in developing nations compared to the developed world due to a combination of technical and policy level constraints, primarily at the farm level. Lentil exports have significantly fluctuated in volume and value over the last ten years, mainly due to lack of production and export diversification.

Lentil is also the largest exported item among agricultural commodities from Nepal with a share of about 2.3 percent of total national exports and about 3.1 percent of the total world export (ITC, 2010). Nepal is currently listed among the top 10 exporters and was 5th in 2009 and 2010 in terms of quantity and value in US dollar exported. Lentils from Nepal are receiving US $1,364 per metric ton (MT) which is high compared to the lentils from other countries. The Nepal Trade Integration Strategy (NTIS) has prioritized lentil as one of the 19 commodities with export potential in Nepal. In Nepal, exporters and large-scale collectors were found to dominate the lentil value chain. They store lentils for six months to one year in order to command a high market price in scarce seasons. As the lentil exporting begins, the price in the domestic market begins to increase, resulting in the importation of lentil from overseas, which then causes price fluctuations. The profit margin in the lentil value chain ranges from NPRs 1-9/kg for different actors. Exporters benefit from the highest profit margin of NPRs 9/kg while farmers earn a profit margin of NPRs 3- 4/kg of lentil.5

2 USAID. "Value Chain/ Market Analysis of the Lentil Sub-sector in Nepal." < http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:1xfJXLeLe8QJ:https://dec.usaid.gov/dec/GetDoc.axd%3FctID%3DODVhZjk4NWQtM2YyMi00YjRmLTkxNjktZTcxMjM2NDBmY2Uy%26pID%3DNTYw%26attchmnt%3DVHJ1ZQ%3D%3D%26rID%3DMzQwMzE2+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us> 3 http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:R5yAr-VW2-wJ:https://apps.icarda.org/wsInternet/wsInternet.asmx/DownloadFileToLocal%3FfilePath%3DList_of_publications/Poster_in_ConProc/IFLRC/Lentil_improvement.pdf%26fileName%3DLentil_improvement.pdf+&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us4 "Lentil (Lens culinaris)". Pulse Canada. Retrieved 24 January 2015.5 USAID. "Value Chain/ Market Analysis of the Lentil Sub-sector in Nepal." < http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:1xfJXLeLe8QJ:https://dec.usaid.gov/dec/GetDoc.axd%3FctID%3DODVhZjk4NWQtM2YyMi00YjRmLTkxNjktZTcxMjM2NDBmY2Uy%26pID%3DNTYw%26attchmnt%3DVHJ1ZQ%3D%3D%26rID%3DMzQwMzE2+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us>

Nutrition___________________________________________________________________________________________With about 30% of their calories from protein, lentils have the third-highest level of protein, by weight, of any legume or nut, after soybeans and hemp.6 Proteins include the essential amino acids isoleucine and lysine, and lentils are an inexpensive source of essential protein in many parts of the world, especially in West Asia and the Indian subcontinent, which have large vegetarian populations.7 Lentils are deficient in two essential amino acids, methionine and cysteine.8

Lentils also contain dietary fiber, folate, vitamin B1, and minerals. Red (or pink) lentils contain a lower concentration of fiber than green lentils (11% rather than 31%).9 Health magazine has selected lentils as one of the five healthiest foods.10 The low levels of Readily Digestible Starch (RDS) 5%, and high levels of Slowly Digested Starch (SDS) 30%, make lentils of great interest to people with diabetes. The remaining 65% of the starch is a resistant starch that is classified RS1, being a high quality resistant starch, which is 32% amylose.11

Lentils also have some anti-nutritional factors, such as trypsin inhibitors and relatively high phytate content. Trypsin is an enzyme involved in digestion, and phytates reduce the bio-availability of dietary minerals.12 The phytates can be reduced by soaking the lentils in warm water overnight.[ Lentils are a good source of iron having over half of a person's daily iron allowance in a one cup serving.13

Further Reading

Value Chain Market Analysis of the Lentil Sub-Sector in Nepal Nepal Trade Web site

6 Callaway JC (2004). Hempseed as a nutritional resource: an overview. Euphytica 140:65–72.7 "Essential Amino Acids". Retrieved 19 September 2014.8 Randy Sell. "Lentil". North Dakota State University Department of Agricultural Economics. Archived from the original on 21 June 2009.9 "USDA nutrient database". Retrieved 19 September 2014.10 Raymond, Joan (March 2006). "World's Healthiest Foods: Lentils (India)". Health Magazine.11 Kawaljit Singh Sandhu, Seung-Taik Lim Digestibility of legume starches as influenced by their physical and structural properties Elsevier, 16 March 200712 "Effect of processing on some anti-nutritional factors of lentils", J. Agric. Food Chem.13 ""Iron: food sources"". Retrieved 19 September 2014.