Prospects for pigeonpea cultivation in drought-prone areas of South Africa

Pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan [L] Millsp.) is an important food-legume crop, grown in over 4m ha of the tropics and sub-tropics. In southern and eastern Africa, pigeonpea constitutes an important component of dry land production systems where its dry, whole seeds are used for making soup mixed with or without meat and the green, mature seeds as a vegetable. Although pigeonpea is not a field crop in South Africa, approximately 120-150 tonnes of decorticated, dry, split-peas (locally known as “oil-dhal”) are imported monthly to meet the demand of the local Asian community