Mandalay Region Agriculture Dept to cover over 210,000 acres of winter chickpea in mini-budget period

More than 210,000 acres of winter chickpea are projected to be cultivated in Mandalay Region during the current mini-budget period (October 2021-March 2022), said Daw Myat Su, an officer of the Mandalay Region Agriculture Department.
The winter chickpeas project will be implemented in the seven districts, covering 4,945 acres in Mandalay District, 13,218 in PyinOoLwin, 86,968 in Kyaukse, 45,974 in Meiktila, 29,838 in Myingyan, 5,774 in NyaungU and 25,627 in Yamethin. Over 74,000 acres of chickpea have been planted so far for this winter.
“Beyond the domestic consumption, the chickpea cultivation is planned for the export market as well. Over 2.9 million baskets of chickpeas are produced in the region. The regional department also plans to extend the cultivation of other pulses, including black gram, pigeon pea, butter bean and green gram as well. Over 510,000 acres of pulses in winter growing season and 720,000 acres in monsoon season are projected in the region,” he explained.
Chickpeas are yearly planted in winter (from 15 November to 15 December). The harvest season is in February-March. It produces 15 to 20 baskets per acres. The chickpea varieties (Yezin 3,4,6,8,12) are primarily grown. — Min Htet Aung (Mandalay Sub-Printing House)/GNLM