Several Production Records Topple

PANAMA - Dec 7/12 - SNS -- Canadian lentil production ended up slightly lower than initially expected, while the field pea harvest was 4% larger, according to Statistics Canada's final production estimates for 2016.

Record pea and lentil crops helped lift total pulse and special crop production to 8.835 million metric tons (MT), up from 6.423 million last year and 1% higher than forecast in September. Interestingly, total output was slightly lower than suggested by yields estimates from provincial agriculture departments.

It is worth noting that Statistics Canada's estimate was based on a direct survey of 26,500 farms between October 21 and November 13.

The harvest is normally wrapping up by the time the final survey begins. This year, the pea harvest was 100% and lentil 97% complete. By contrast, only 25% of the chickpea crop, half the canaryseed and 79% of the mustard seed crops had been harvested. While substantial progress was made by November 24, there is no data available on the amount still in fields as of November 13.

Statistics Canada acknowledged the problem, saying, "Significant amounts of snow in early October delayed harvest in some northern regions of Alberta and Saskatchewan. As a result, combining was not complete at the end of the survey period in these areas. Still, farmers in the affected areas were asked to provide their best estimates for their total crop production."