• The New York Times, Wednesday, September 21, 2011 10:47 AM

PepsiCo will announce a new venture today aimed at increasing its access to chickpeas, which play an increasing role in its food products, and expanding production of the crop in Ethiopia.

With partners the World Food Program and the United States Agency for International Development, PepsiCo plans to work with farmers in Ethiopia to increase the production and quality of chick peas, which the company needs to meet demand for its hummus products. Currently, some 100,000 farmers there grow chickpeas, but not as a primary crop.

The company wants to invest in better seeds and drip irrigation systems so that farmers can improve yields and grow chickpeas twice a year. The increased yield would exceed PepsiCo's needs. So some of the additional crops will be used to make a new, ready-to-eat food product that the World Food Program has used to address famine in Pakistan.

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