Canadian Special Crop Output Expands

VANCOUVER - Dec 16/04 - SNS -- Canadian specialty crop production output jumped 42% to 5.23 million metric tons (MT) this year, reports Agriculture Canada.

Total pulse and special crops supply increased by only 33% to 5.81 million MT, because of lower carry-in stocks. Although exports and domestic use are forecast to increase due to the higher supply, strong demand and lower prices for most crops, carry-out stocks are also expected to increase.

Average prices, over all grades and markets, are forecast to increase from 2003-04 for dry beans, chickpeas and sunflower seed, decrease for dry peas, lentils, mustard seed and canary seed, and be the same for buckwheat.

Harvesting of pulse and special crops was much later than normal, but is, in general, complete. Average yields ranged from lower than trend to higher than trend, depending on the crop, but abandonment was generally higher than normal.

Yields were much lower than trend and abandonment much higher than normal for dry beans and buckwheat in Manitoba and sunflower seed in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, due to late seeding, below normal temperatures and damage from excessive rainfall, frost and disease.

Agriculture Canada added that average quality is, in general, lower than normal due to damage from frost and wet weather. The main factors to watch are exchange rates, ocean shipping rates, and crop and harvest conditions in other major producing countries, especially Australia, India and Pakistan.

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