MarketsFarm — As Canada’s lentil harvest comes along slowly, issues with wrinkles and the loss of colour have arisen, according to Markus Mosnaim of Globeway Canada in Mississauga.
Loss of colour in green lentils translates to a downgrade, he said. “It can drop to No. 2, depending on how much colour is lost.”
Wrinkles, meanwhile, refer to sharp ridges, called coat folds, on the seed, along with pronounced depressions, called indents, according to the Canadian Grain Commission.
Such imperfections are a major concern globally and that could lead to a loss of customers, Mosnaim said.
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Wrinkles have been present in this year’s green lentils, he said, but he didn’t know of any wrinkle issues in red lentils yet.
Wrinkle and colour loss issues could lead to lentils being downgraded to No. 3.
“That will be a tougher market because buyers are used to buying quality and haven’t seen [No. 3] for some time” and a price will then have to be established, Mosnaim said.
For No. 2 green lentils, the price is 19-20 cents/lb., with No. 1s a little higher as position-covering has been providing support, he said.
Red lentils have been going for 16-17 cents/lb., with the market rather quiet at this time Mosnaim said.
As for harvests, he noted lentils are 75 to 80 per cent complete in southern Saskatchewan, but that drops as one goes further north. Wet conditions have slowed this year’s harvest, he said.
— Glen Hallick writes for MarketsFarm, a Glacier FarmMedia division specializing in grain and commodity market analysis and reporting.
