China's Largest Chickpea Production Base Established in Mulei

Chickpeas, known as the "Wonder Bean of the Tianshan Mountains," have now become a boon for increasing the income of farmers and herders of all ethnic groups in **Mulei Kazakh Autonomous County, and Mulei County has consequently become "China's largest chickpea production base." Chickpeas, also called "peach beans" or "chicken-head beans," belong to the vetch tribe and are a rare variety among leguminous plants, with a cultivation history of more than 2,000 years in the ** region. 

Chickpeas far surpass other legumes in indicators such as protein efficiency ratio, amino acid content and digestibility, and are hailed as "golden beans." At the same time, chickpeas are a low-sugar food and are very beneficial for people with high blood pressure, high blood lipids and diabetes. In 2004, chickpeas were approved by the ** Health Department as a "special nutritional food," and the chickpea industry also became a ** "Spark Program" project.