Glacier FarmMedia – Canadian farmers intend to seed more acres to pulse crops this spring, although actual planted area could end up larger still.
Canadian lentil area is forecast to be up by 4.4 per cent on the year, at 3.829 million acres, according to the estimates of principal field crops report released by Statistics Canada on March 11. After conducting a survey of producers in December and Janyar, StatCan forecast pea area in 2024 at 3.122 million acres which would be up by 2.4 per cent on the year.
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Average pre-report expectations for both of those major pulse crops had called for even larger acreage increases, given the prospects for relatively favourable returns and lower input costs compared to other options.
Large green lentils are currently trading at some of their highest price levels of the past year, topping out above 80 cents per pound in some locations, according to Prairie Ag Hotwire data. New crop pricing is in the 55 to 57 cents per pound area. Red lentils have lagged their green counterparts to the upside, with spot bids and new crop pricing both around 30 cents per pound or slightly higher.
Spot bids for large calibre kabuli chickpeas can be found as high as 55 cents per pound, according to Prairie Ag Hotwire, with new crop bids around 45 cents per pound.
Chickpea area is forecast to hit its highest level since 2018 at 400,000 acres, which would be up by 26.8 per cent from the 315,500 acres seeded in 2023.
Area seeded to edible beans is forecast to increase by 12.8 per cent, hitting 359,000 acres. However, of that total, coloured beans are forecast to be up by 20.8 per cent at 297,100 acres, while white (navy) bean acres are projected to come in at their lowest level in 13 years at only 61,800 acres.
Nearby prices for white beans top out at 54 cents per pound, while black beans are trading over 70 cents per pound and pintos are trading in the 54 to 57 cents per pound area.
–– Phil Franz-Warkentin is an associate editor/analyst with MarketsFarm in Winnipeg.
