Cicero Project Explores UK Chickpea Potential

09 February 2026

Cicero: Unlocking the Potential for UK-Grown Chickpeas

Can chickpeas become a viable break crop for British farms?

That’s the question behind Cicero, a two-year feasibility study funded by Defra and delivered by a consortium of experts including NIAB, Premium Crops, Place UK, and Viridian Seeds.

With over 60,000 tonnes of chickpeas imported annually, there’s a clear opportunity for UK growers - if the crop can be adapted to our conditions and meet market expectations for quality and price.

Why Chickpeas?

Chickpeas are a nitrogen-fixing legume, offering rotational benefits by reducing fertiliser requirements. Their seeds are rich in protein, fibre, and minerals, making them a valuable crop for food markets. But until now, chickpeas have remained largely unexplored in UK agriculture due to the lack of breeding, agronomic knowledge, and supply chain integration.

The Cicero Project

Led by NIAB, the Cicero project brought together key supply chain partners:

Premium Crops – seed supply, agronomy, and market development
Place UK – grower and processor
Viridian Seeds – genomics and biotechnology

The project focused on three core objectives:

Identify chickpea varieties best suited to UK conditions
Develop agronomic practices for reliable and profitable cultivation
Initiate breeding for improved UK adaptation

What We Learned (2023-2024)

Over two cropping seasons, significant progress was made:

Established baseline agronomy: weed control, sowing dates, planting density, inputs, and harvesting
Identified key traits for yield improvement
Initiated breeding populations through targeted crosses
Screened diverse chickpea lines to pinpoint promising adaptation traits
Created a genetic resource of induced variants, focusing on genes like flowering time
Began developing smart breeding tools, including genome sequencing and predictive quality testing

The Road Ahead

Chickpeas show promise as a combinable break crop, but current yields are not yet competitive with imports. Success will depend on:

Harvesting high-quality samples by mid-September
Securing contracts with end-users to support grower confidence

Premium Crops is proud to be part of this pioneering work, helping to build a sustainable and profitable future for UK-grown chickpeas.

This project was funded by Defra under the Farming Innovation Programme Farming Futures R&D Fund: Sustainable farm-based protein competition, managed by Innovate UK.

Partners: UKRI-Innovate UK | NIAB | Place UK | Viridian Seeds

Extent of variation across 2023 Niab nursery plots