File photo of fields during monsoon in India. (Shubham Singh/iStock/Getty Images)

Pulse weekly outlook: India pulse estimates improve

MarketsFarm — Conditions are still not looking good for India’s kharif (summer) production, and in particular for pulse crops. Excessive monsoon rains, followed by above-average post-monsoon rains, have hurt production, according to a report. The excessive rains resulted in flooding in 13 states in India and the National Bulk Handling Corp. (NBHC) estimated Monday that […] Read more

(Serts/iStock/Getty Images)

Pulse weekly outlook: Red lentils see some strength

MarketsFarm — The red lentil market in Western Canada is seeing some life to start the New Year, with improved bids creating some marketing opportunities. “Green lentil prices have been steady since the end of 2019, but red lentils are the one that’s jumped,” said Kevin Silzer, vice-president with Rayglen Commodities in Saskatoon, noting red […] Read more


Green lentils. (Savany/iStock/Getty Images)

Pulse weekly outlook: Drop in India’s production may lead to lower duties

MarketsFarm — There’s a possibility the government of India could lower its import duties on pulses, including those from Canada, according to reports. With India’s monsoon rains having continued longer than usual, production of the country’s kharif (summer) pulse production fell by almost two million tonnes. Prior to the monsoons, market expectations called for 10.1 […] Read more

Neil Townsend (left) of FarmLink and Jason Newton of Nutrien discuss farm consolidation at the Grain World conference in Saskatoon on Nov. 28, 2019. (MarketsFarm photo by Glen Hallick)

Grain World: Farm consolidation key to increasing yields

Saskatoon | MarketsFarm — Consolidating farms — going from numerous small operations to fewer, but much larger, farms — is central to improving crop yields, according to grain industry observers Neil Townsend and Jason Newton. Townsend is the chief market analyst for FarmLink Marketing Solutions, while Newton is the chief economist and head of marketing […] Read more


There are great opportunities for Canadian pulses, not only as commodity exports, but as food products, AGT CEO Murad Al-Katib says. (MarketsFarm photo by Glen Hallick)

Grain World: Opportunities great for Canadian pulses, AGT CEO says

Saskatoon | MarketsFarm — To Murad Al-Katib, the opportunities for Canadian pulse exports to India are amazing, provided one correctly understands the context of India’s tariffs on pulses. Also, he said, those Canadian exporters must realize they need to switch from being solely dependent on commodities to adding value by shipping food and ingredients. “We […] Read more

Jason Shapiro at Grain World. (MarketsFarm photo by Glen Hallick)

Grain World: Geopolitics is back dominating global relations

Saskatoon | MarketsFarm — Geopolitics is again shaping the international scene, including China, Jason Shapiro explained here Thursday at the Grain World conference. Geopolitics, he said, resulted in catastrophic global wars and generated very little peace for close to a century. Shapiro, director of analysis for Geopolitical Futures — an Austin, Tex.-based international risk analysis […] Read more



As much as 50 per cent of India’s dal crop was damaged this year due to waterlogging.  Photo: iStock/Getty Images

India looking to import pulses

MarketsFarm – Although India has prioritized producing their country’s own pulses self-sufficiently, unprecedented rainfall in October and November could turn the country back to relying on imports. A statement from the chairman of the Indian Pulses and Grains Association (IPGA), Zaverchand Bheda, said as much as 50 per cent of the urad pulse crop was […] Read more