STAT Communications Ag Market News

Record High Pulse Inventories

OTTAWA - Feb 5/18 - SNS -- Markets were not surprised that Canada finished the 2017 calendar year with record high inventories of peas and lentils, according to Statistics Canada December 31 stocks in all positions report.

Total stocks for lentils increased 16.3% from December 31, 2016, to 2.0 million metric tons (MT). On-farm stock levels rose 24.6% to 1.9 millions MT, while commercial stocks decreased 44.7% to 114 000 MT. Meanwhile, stocks of dry peas rose 3.9% to 2.8 million MT, with onfarm stocks up 3% at 2.25 million and commercial inventories up 12.7% at 248,000.

Statistics Canada blamed the increase in pea and lentil inventories on "recent rises in import tariffs introduced by India, as preliminary data on pea and lentil exports seem to show a substantial decrease over the same period."

The data about inventories on farms is derived from a survey of 9,064 farms between January 3 and 15. Data on commercial stocks of western major crops originate from the Canadian Grain Commission. Data on peas and lentils includes information from a survey of handlers and agents.

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