China's Pulse Harvest Jumps 28%

WASHINGTON - Jun 1/06 - SNS -- Pulse production in China could reach 4.5 million metric tons (MT) this year, up 28% from last year as growers respond to stronger kidney bean prices by boosting seeded area, argues the U.S. agricultural attache for the country in a recent report.

During 2005, the Chinese government's policy favored grain and oilseed production; consequently, the acreage for corn, wheat and soybeans rose while pulse acreage declined. Pulse farmers receive no support from the government and production is nominal, accounting for less than 1% of total seeded area each year.

The decline in both acreage and production in 2005 pushed wholesale prices upward not only for kidney beans but also for other pulses.

Trade sources estimate that the prices for some kidney bean varieties such as white kidney beans and red kidney beans increased by 20-30% in 2005. Responding to higher bean prices, farmers will plant more kidney beans in the major pulse producing regions: Heilongjiang, Jilin, Inner Mongolia, and Northwestern China.

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