Cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.]

The important cowpea-growing countries are Nigeria, Niger Republic, Mali, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Cameroon, and Chad, in Central and West Africa; Sudan, Somalia, Kenya, Malawi, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa, and Mozambique, in East and Southern Africa; Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Korea, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, in Asia; and Brazil, Cuba, Haiti, the U.S., and the West Indies, in North, Central, and South America. Reliable statistics are not available, but based on the FAO data (FAOSTAT-2003) and on correspondence with national programs, the estimated worldwide area under cowpea is more than 14 million ha, with more than 4.5 million t annual production. The available data on area, production, and average yield of cowpea in 11 important cowpeagrowing countries is presented in Table 5.1, which totals up to 11.3 million hectare and 3.6 million tons. These data indicate that a substantial part of the cowpea production comes from only a few countries. Nigeria is the largest producer and consumer of cowpea, with about 5 million ha area and about 2.4 million t produced annually. Niger Republic is the next largest producer, with 3 million ha and more than 350,000 t produced. Northeast Brazil grows about 1.5 million ha of cowpea, with about 491,558 t produced, which provides food to about 25 million people. In the southern U.S., about 40,000 ha of cowpea is grown, with an estimated 45,000 t annual production of dry cowpea seed and a large amount of frozen green cowpeas. India is the largest cowpea producer in Asia, and together with Bangladesh, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Philippines, Thailand, and other far eastern countries, there may be more than 1.5 million ha under cowpea in Asia.