Peas (Pisum sativum) are original from the Old Continent, although there are many doubts about their true origin. Their use is relatively common in Europe, and they were probably introduced from Palestine or Egypt into European Eastern areas of the Mediterranean sea, considered as the main centre of diversification.

In Spain, 47% of the production is intended for consumption in fresh (and 41% for processing). 42% of the amount intended for consumption in fresh is traded in the domestic market. The remaining 5% is exported to France, Italy and England.

6,878,000 t of peas are produced world-wide every year. The surface used world-wide for its cultivation is of 833,000 ha. The world-wide production is distributed by continents as follows:

Continent	Thousand tons
Africa	273
Asia	3,260
Europe	1,843
North America	1,193
Oceania	149
South America	160
Total	6,878

Source: FAO Production Yearbook (1998)

The main producing countries are:

Country	Thousand tons
India	2,000F*
The USA	1,079F
China	1,021F
France	450F
UK	449F
Hungary	170
Italy	130F
Egypt	125F
The Netherlands	100F
Australia	97F

Source: FAO Production Yearbook (1998)
(*) F: Value estimated by the FAO

The main producing country is India (2,000,000 t) and Spain is below the ten first countries, totalling 63,000 t.

As guiding data, the following table shows the imports in fresh of the United Kingdom in 1999:

Country	Tons
France	120
Guatemala	1,388
Italy	936
Kenya	6,587
The Netherlands	68
Spain	388
Zambia	864
Zimbabwe	2,034
Rest of the world	534
Total UK imports	12,919

Source: Fresh Produce Desk Book (2001)

In 1999, the United Kingdom imported 388 tons from Spain, totalling 598 dollars. Kenya was the country from which the UK imported the largest amount of peas, followed by Zimbabwe.

The United Kingdom imports in 1999 amounted to 23,309 dollars.

According to Fresh Produce Desk Book (2001) the United Kingdom exported, during the same year, 3,753 tons amounting to 1,244 dollars. 2,743 tons were exported to Europe and the remaining 1,010 tons outside Europe. The amount exported to Europe totalled 866 dollars and the rest represented 378 dollars.

In Spain, the total surface devoted to pea cultivation is 5,947 ha and the production estimated in 1999 by communities was the following:

Area	Hectares	Tons
Aragón	2,095	9,242
Castilla-La Mancha	1,556	8,201
La Rioja	1,185	7,565
Andalucía	1,111	7,292
TOTAL	5,947	32,300

Source: La Horticultura Española (2001) Sech.