ED&F Man welcomes UN World Pulses Day

ED&F Man Head of Special Crops Marcus Coles has welcomed the announcement by the United Nations General Assembly that it has approved World Pulses Day to take place every February 10, starting in 2019.

ED&F Man Special Crops, trading as Maviga, is a leading player in the international origination, processing and trading of dry edible pulses (peas, beans, lentils and chickpeas). Marcus Coles said; ‘As we head towards a global population of c9.5bn in 2050, producing sufficient sustainable protein will become one of the planet’s biggest challenges. An increase in the global production and consumption of pulses is one easy and obvious solution. They fix nitrogen (for free) in the soil, use minimal moisture in their growth cycle and have an excellent nutritional profile, with up to 25% protein by dry weight.’

Marcus was on the UK steering committee for the International Year of Pulses (2016) which was the year a World Pulses Day initiative began.

‘It’s not easy convincing the UN to label such days. We are delighted to welcome the first UN World Pulses Day on February the 10th and, along with other members of the Pulse Industry, will use this day to raise the very positive profile of pulses to consumers and producers around the world. Please spread the word!’