Chickpea is one of Bangladesh's favourite pulses — eaten as dal, roasted, and by the sackful in Ramadan. It is also a crop that pays the farmer well for little input.

• Protein for muscle, fibre for digestion, iron, magnesium, zinc and the B vitamins.
• Low in calories; a low glycaemic index that helps control blood sugar.
• Fibre and antioxidants that protect the heart; calcium and magnesium for bones.

• Soil: loam or clay-loam; a winter (rabi) crop sown from November to January.
• Seed: a high-yielding variety, treated with fungicide before sowing.
• Land: ploughed fine, with organic manure and the recommended fertiliser.
• Sowing: rows 40–45 cm apart, 50–60 kg of seed per hectare.
• Water: little needed; a light irrigation in drought.
• Weeds and pests: keep the field clean; watch for blight, wilt and cutworm and treat in time.

• BARI Chola-2 (Baral): large light-brown seed, 140–150 g per thousand, popular with growers and buyers alike.
• BARI Chola-3 (Barendra): upright plant, very large seed at 185–195 g per thousand, cooks in 40–44 minutes.
• BARI Chola-4 (Jorafool): medium upright plant, dark leaves, twin flowers.

Harvest when pods turn straw-coloured, dry well and store dry: a crop that feeds the family and the market.

Photo: Chickpea plants (Cicer arietinum) — Carl Davies, CSIRO / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)