Mung Bean (Vigna radiata L.) Production Status and Challenges in Ethiopia

Abstract

Mung bean is one of the most important pulse crops, grown from the tropical to sub-tropical areas around the world. Mung bean has good potential for crop rotation system, for crops under drier farmland cultivation areas and ability of growing on dry and irrigated conditions. Mung bean has considerable importance in economical, food, fodder and agricultural (green manure crop to improve soil fertility) aspects. Sowing of mung bean mainly occurs during summer when sufficient rain is available for growth but it is sensitive to waterlogging. It is grown in several types of cultivation systems, including sole cropping, intercropping, multiple cropping and relay cropping, where it is planted after cereals using residual moisture. Mung bean accounts insufficient amount of cultivation practice for food and fodder. Mung bean has considerable importance in economical, food, fodder and agricultural (green manure crop to improve soil fertility) aspects. The huge constraints of pulse crop value-chain production, aggregation and trading, and demand sinks/export. Productivity is below potential due to low input usage, especially chemical fertilizers inability to increase yields, limited availability of seed, limited familiarity with the variety of existing seed types, and limited usage of modern agronomic practices. The link between the producers and the export markets is weak, due to the large number of ineffective intermediaries operating in the value chain. The fragmentation of intermediaries between the producer and consumer markets creates a lack of transparency in markets. We have to support the farmers with recommended agronomic packages, we have to protect disease and insect pest, improved varieties, recommended fertilizer should be applied for better grain yield production of mung bean.