Canadian pea exports picked up in January, while lentil movement dipped compared to the previous month, according to the latest Statistics Canada trade data.
Manitoba farmers won’t be too inclined this spring to switch from planting cereals and oilseeds to soybeans or pulses, despite recent hikes in fertilizer prices said an official with Manitoba Agriculture.
Due to high fertilizer prices, there’s a strong possibility that Saskatchewan farmers will plant more pulses this spring, said Dale Risula, provincial specialist for pulse crops with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture.
As spring planting approaches, farmers are busy planning which crops to seed this year and how much. With that, market thoughts have turned toward planted area projections, as Statistics Canada is set to issue its report on Thursday.
Pulse growers in the United States have a new market after a recently announced program from the U.S. Department of Agriculture allocated US$75 million to purchase peas, lentils, beans and chickpeas.
As pulse growers consider what to plant this spring, Chuck Penner of Leftfield Commodities Research said there is some optimism in the Canadian pulse market. Penner gave a presentation at the Saskatchewan Pulse Growers meeting in Swift Current on Feb. 4.