China's Pea Needs Will Grow

TIANJIN - Aug 29/12 - SNS -- China's demand for peas may stall during the 2012-13 marketing campaign, but it should continue to expand through 2016, potentially reaching one million metric tons (MT) annually.

Speaking at this year's China Pulse Import and Export Industry Conference here, Zhang Baosheng, general manager of COFCO-Shandong Vermicelli and Beans I/E Co. Ltd., said imports during the 2011 calendar year totalled 730,484 MT at an average price of U.S. $404 MT delivered to main Chinese ports.

The current calendar year is off to a relatively slow start, with imports totalling 301,614 MT at an average price of $432 MT during the first half of the year. But, import volumes will improve during the last half of the year because of the availability of new crop peas from both Canada and the United States.

During 2011, Canada shipped 696,635 MT of peas to China; the United States 28,529 MT; and other origins 5,320 MT. During the first half of the current calendar year, Canada supplied 289,532 MT; the United States only 6,488 MT; and other origins 5,594 MT. The modest improvement in purchases from other origins

China first used peas to manufacture vermicelli noodles in 1994, importing product from Australia. The following year, it imported peas from Canada for that use. During the 1995-96 marketing year, Canada shipped 14,733 MT of peas to China. Prior to that, Canadian exports had never exceeded 300 MT.