Chickpeas Remain Firm

VANCOUVER - Feb 10/06 - SNS -- Chickpeas continued to hold their value in light trade during the past week as markets wait for concrete news from Mexico about the size of this year's crop and its impact on values.

After generating an exportable surplus of less than 40,000 metric tons (MT) last year, the industry is looking for a major rebound this season to between 65,000 and 80,000 MT. At the same, prospective kabuli chickpea production in western Canada is expected to rebound, while output in the United States and India just rises.

It is hard to believe markets will be able to sustain current values as new crop product becomes available from the various producing regions. However, the degree of decline will have as much to do with how many chickpeas are needed to restock usage pipelines a the degree to which output exceeds import requirements around the world.

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