Chickpeas

The physical differences between the types drive their commercial separation. The desi seed’s thick coat is a milling asset: the coat is removed and the cotyledons split cleanly, which is precisely what a dal mill exists to do. The kabuli seed’s thin coat and large size make it suited to whole use, where the seed must be seen and must hold together through soaking and cooking.

Desi chickpeas

Small, angular, coloured seed with a thick seed coat; the dominant type in South Asia, milled largely into dal and flour.

Kabuli chickpeas

Large, rounded, cream seed with a thin coat; sold whole, and priced on size, with the largest calibres attracting the strongest premiums.

Size and calibre

The kabuli trade specifies seed size as a count per unit weight or by screen; it is the primary price determinant within the type.

Dal milling is the dominant destination for desi chickpeas, and it is a substantial industry rather than a processing detail. The seed is conditioned, the coat is loosened and removed, and the two cotyledons are separated into split dal; a share is ground into flour. Milling outturn — how much whole, clean split is recovered rather than broken fragments and powder — is what a miller buys against, and it depends on the seed’s condition, size uniformity, and how it was dried.

AgricultureID does not currently publish chickpea dal or chickpea flour entries; those pathways are real and are described here rather than linked.

Kabuli lots are specified by size first, then colour and uniformity, then defects: splits, broken and shrivelled seed, insect damage, and staining. Desi lots are specified with milling outturn in view — size uniformity, seed coat condition, and freedom from damage — and appearance matters less because the coat comes off anyway.

Both types are vulnerable to bruchid infestation, which damages seed and is a rejection issue in export trade rather than a discount. Insect damage in a pulse is not a cosmetic matter: infested lots may be refused entry outright under phytosanitary rules that differ by destination.

Chickpeas are handled to protect the seed coat and the seed’s integrity, because splits and skin damage cost money in both trades — in kabuli as a visible defect, in desi as lost milling outturn. Over-dried seed splits readily in handling; moist seed moulds and attracts insects. Cool, dry, insect-protected storage is the standard, and hermetic storage is used where bruchid pressure is high.