Smaller Bean Area Forecast for 2007

WINNIPEG - Dec 20/06 - SNS -- Agriculture Canada expects dry edible bean area to decrease in both Canada and the United States in 2007 "as prices are not very attractive for most classes of beans and in many cases are not competitive with other crops."

Stan Skrypetz, Pulse and Special Crops Analyst with Agriculture Canada's Market Analysis Division here added, "Other factors are expected to affect seeded area are: prices offered in production contracts, dry bean prices in the early spring and weather conditions during seeding."

In his review of the sector, Skrypetz noted total North American production this year ended up at 1.6 million metric tons (MT), down 2% from last year. Canadian dry bean production increased 12% to 363,000 MT, as the lower seeded area was more than offset by lower abandonment and higher yields.

Canadian production increased for white pea, pinto, black and Great Northern beans, decreased for dark red kidney and cranberry beans, and remained relatively stable for pink, small red and light red kidney beans.

Canadian supply of dry beans increased by 15% to 423,000 MT and total use is expected to increase by 12% to 373,000 MT. Carry-out stocks are forecast to increase, with a stocks-to-use ratio of 13%.

US production decreased 12% to 1.02 million MT (excluding garbanzos). Production was down for the major classes of dry beans, with the exception of white pea, black, and pink for which production increased, and cranberry for which production was stable. US seeded area decreased only slightly, but yields were significantly lower than in 2005-2006.

Supply decreased by 8% to 1.20 million MT, as higher carry-in stocks offset some of the decrease in production. The top three bean classes, pinto, white pea (navy) and black, accounted for 43%, 19% and 11% of US dry bean production, respectively, in 2006-2007.

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