Hummus might get more expensive due to unexpected cold weather in chickpea producing countries such as Mexico and India. Chickpea crops do not tolerate frost which damages the seeds’ development. The climate change-linked wet weather damaged most of the crops this year. The price hike is due to a massive demand for chickpeas and a decrease in supply. Lebanon imports 95% of its chickpeas, according to
. Even though Lebanon is an ideal country for cultivating chickpeas, importing is cheaper. However, if the price keeps increasing, growing chickpeas would be a more reasonable option. The change is reflected in supermarkets, where 1 kilogram of hummus costs LBP 5,000. It cost between LBP 1,250 and LBP 2,000 last year. People thought that the price hike is only linked to the increase in the VAT.
