Green Mung Beans

Description :

Domestic Scenario: Mung bean is known locally as “Masho”. It is a recent introduction in the Ethiopian pulse production and grown in few areas of the country. The volume of production is also very small and it is concentrated mainly in North Shewa and South Wollo zones of Amhara region and in some woredas of Beneshalgul Gumuz region.

Product Varieties: Mung beans are small, ovoid (and sometimes cylindrical) in shape with a bright green skin. They have green skin hence they are also called green beans. The ECX Mung bean contract classifies the bean in to two varieties by production area. These are: Green Mung Bean Shoa and Green Mung Bean Asossa type.

Agro-Ecological Conditions: Mung bean is a warm season annual legume which is a drought resistant crop with an optimum temperature range of 27- 30°C for good production. It is very early maturing quick crop, requiring 75–90 days to mature. Best adaptation areas for Mung bean are at 1,000-1,650 meters above sea elevation level; with annual rainfall of 600-750mm, its production in Ethiopia is most suited with clay loam fluvsol, clay eutric fluvisol, and pellic vertisol types of soil. It is usually sown at “Belge” lean season between Februarys to April and “Mehere” between Julys to August when the rain starts to end. Domestic Production: Mung bean productivity in Ethiopia is estimated to be on average from 12 up to 15 Qt. /ha with a volume of production is increasing year to year. Amhara and Beneshangul Gumuz regions are the two potential production areas of green Mung bean.

Commercialization: Although green Mung bean is commonly used in some other countries, it is little consumed in Ethiopia even by those who produce it. It is only produced as a cash crop to generate income by selling it to exporters. Regional Agricultural Bureaus and market actors estimate that close to 90% of the total production is marketable surplus

Global Scenario: In 2015/2016, Ethiopia exported a total of 30,694 MT of green Mung bean with a value of 35.8 million USD. Compared to export performance of to 2014/2015, the export volume and value grew up by 21% and 23%, respectively. The major export destinations for Ethiopian green Mung bean are: Indonesia, India, Belgium, UAE, and Singapore. Other major global players in Mung bean import comprises: USA, Netherlands, UK, Canada, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, and Malaysia.