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Specialty Crop News for December, 1998

• Western Australia's Red Lentil Harvest Excellent
  DONALD -- Dec 3/98 -- Western Australia's lentil harvest has finished with the majority of the product already on its way to overseas markets, according to the state agriculture department.

• Small Red Bean Market Pushed by Tender
  KANSAS CITY -- Dec 3/98 -- The latest USDA PL-480 food aid tender for small red beans and other pulses has pushed prices for the variety sharply higher.

• Turkish Sunflower Crop Stuck at 650,000 MT
  ANKARA -- Dec 4/98 -- Turkish sunflower production is now estimated at 650,000 MT, the same level as last year, but well below opening season expectations; making it clear the country will remain an importer during the coming season.

• Nicaraguan Small Red Bean Shortage Clearer
  MANAGUA -- Dec 4/98 -- Nicaragua is looking at a clear shortage of dry edible beans for the coming season as a result of damage caused by Hurricane Mitch the last week of October and the first few days of November.

• U.S. Pl-480 Demand Drives Bean Markets
  VANCOUVER -- Dec 4/98 -- The biggest news in dry edible bean markets during the week was the U.S. government tender for 6,620 MT of small red beans for delivery to port before February 5.

• Improved Export Demand Supports Canaryseed
  VANCOUVER -- Dec 4/98 -- Birdseed ingredient markets managed another good performance on the week, with the complex led higher by Canadian canaryseed.

• North American Lentil Acreage Primed for Increase
  VANCOUVER -- Dec 4/98 -- North American lentil markets were relatively quiet on the week.

• Field Pea Markets Lose Some Steam
  VANCOUVER -- Dec 4/98 -- North American field pea markets appeared to lose stamina, with values ending down from those traded during the first half of the week.

• Canada -- Crop Production Summary

• Canada -- Specialty Crop Production Summary and Forecast

• Saskatchewan Sets New Field Pea Yield Record
  VANCOUVER -- Dec 7/98 -- Canada's official production numbers for 1998 contained only two surprises, with pea production ending up nearly 17% higher than expected and mustard seed output coming in nearly 15% lower.

• USDA Confirms Purchase 2,030 MT Pulses for January
  KANSAS CITY -- Dec 8/98 -- The USDA's Commodity Credit Corporation bought the full quantity of pulses requested under Invitation No. 128 for shipment during the periods January 6 - 20, and January 21 - February 5, 1999 for inland plants.

• Easing Pepper Prices May Help Demand
  MUMBAI -- Dec 7/98 -- International pepper production could rise 5.8% in the coming year against increased output by most Asian exporters, according to the latest report by Dr. K.C. Ponnana.

• Europe -- Field Pea Production Summary and 1999 Forecast

• Europe -- Field Bean Production Summary and 1999 Forecast

• Large Cardamom Production Trending Upward in India
  KOZHIKODE -- Dec 9/98 -- Large cardamom is grown in swampy places along the sides of mountain streams in Sikkim, West Bengal and Assam and is an important cash crop in India's eastern regions, according to the following article by K.V. Peter, Director of the Indian Institute of Spices Research, Kozhikode.

• USDA Drops Red Beans in Favor of Pinto in Tender
  KANSAS CITY -- Dec 9/98 -- The USDA dropped its request for 6,620 MT of small red beans in invitation 128A, replacing these with requests for offers of pinto beans.

• French Sunflower Seed Crops Reach 1.7 Million MT
  PARIS -- Dec 9/98 -- French sunflower seed production is well below last year's 1.94 million MT harvest, according to the data compiled by the country's Interprofessional Organization for Oilseeds (SIDO).

• Morocco's Crops Hurt by Drought
  RABAT -- Dec 11/98 -- An absence of rainfall during the important October and November period has compromiosed the outlook for Morocco's grain crops, according to t a recent report from the U.S. agricultural attache here.

• U.S. Dry Bean Production Reaches 1.4 Million MT
  WASHINGTON -- Dec 11/98 -- Production of dry edible beans is pegged at 1.4 million MT for 1998, 6% above 1997 and 11% above two years ago, according to the latest crop production numbers for the United States, for the largest harvest since 1991's 1.53 million MT result.

• Pecan Harvest Plunges 54% Below 1997
  WASHINGTON -- Dec 11/98 -- The latest crop production data from the USDA pegs pecan out put the for the United States at 157 million pounds on an in-shell basis. This is down 14% from the October forecast and

• U.S. Bean Production Estimates By State

• U.S. Dry Edible Bean Estimates by Variety

• Some Processors Fudged Small Red Bean Numbers
  VANCOUVER -- Dec 11/98 -- Record pinto and black bean production harvests helped push dry edible bean production in the United States just over 1.4 million MT this season, according to the USDA's first post harvest tally of pulse production levels inthat country.

• Bearish News Volume Turns Up a Little in Beans
  VANCOUVER -- Dec 12/98 -- International dry edible bean markets ended the week mixed against a slight increase the volume of bearish news.

• Argentine Canaryseed Crop Size Lowered
  VANCOUVER -- Dec 12/98 -- Birdseed ingredient markets managed a mixed performance on the week. Canadian markets showed a slightly weaker tone, even though markets outside the country were generally firmer.

• Canadian Lentil Values Teeter in Slowing Trade
  VANCOUVER -- Dec 12/98 -- Generally quiet trading conditions is causing some concern among processors lentil markets are start to lose their footing.

• Australian Field Peas Respond Negatively to Crop Reports
  VANCOUVER -- Dec 12/98 -- Relatively quiet conditions prevailed in North American field pea markets, while those in Australia responded negatively to the latest crop production estimates for that country.

• Spanish Quality Chick Peas Introduced in Australia
  DONALD -- Dec 23/98 -- A united effort by Agriculture Western Australia and farmers in the Ord River Irrigation Area could see local growers capitalise on the increasing world demand for Kabuli chickpeas.

• USDA Supports Pinto Bean Markets
  KANSAS CITY -- Dec 23/98 -- Pinto bean markets in the United States continue to receive support from the U.S. government as it responds to massive food aid requirements in Central America.

• Grasshopper Risks Predicted for Saskatchewan in 1999
  REGINA -- Dec 23/98 -- Saskatchewan's 1999 grasshopper forecast shows the western half and extreme southeast regions of the surveyed parts of the province contain the most severe risk areas.

• USDA Purchases 5,000 MT Pinto Beans
  KANSAS CITY -- Dec 24/98 -- U.S. government PL-480 food aid buyers covered the latest tender for 5,000 MT of pinto beans at an average price of U.S. $22.56 cwt delivered Gulf ports.

• USDA Boosts Fees for Official Inspections, Weighing
  WASHINGTON -- Dec 28/98 -- Effective February 1, 1999, the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) is increasing fees for certain official inspection and weighing services it performs in the United States under the U.S. GrainStandards Act (USGSA).

• French Field Pea Shipments Ease
  PARIS -- Dec 29/98 -- Shipments of field peas to domestic markets continue to offset gains in export clearances of French product, limiting disappearance during the first third of the marketing year.

• International Field Pea Production Review

• USDA Monthly Bean Invitation Totals 2,480 MT
  KANSAS CITY -- STAT -- The total quantity of dry edible beans covered by USDA PL-480 food aid tender this season now totals 35,930 MT, compared to 5,920 MT last year.

• Pea and Lentil Tenders Reach 2,250 MT
  KANSAS CITY -- STAT -- The quantity of peas and lentils covered by USDA PL-480 food aid tender this season now totals 32,230 MT, compared to 20,000 MT last year.

• USDA Feb Tenders Reach 4,730 MT Pulses
  KANSAS CITY -- STAT -- The closing USDA PL-480 tender announcements for 1998 bring actual and potential purchases of pulses for shipment as food aid during the 1997-98 shipping season to 68,160 MT.

• Bulgarian Grows 37,000 MT Striped Sunflower Seed
  SOFIA -- Dec 31/98 -- Bulgaria's confectionary sunflower seed crop came in at 37,000 MT, according to the latest production data released by the nation's agriculture ministry.

• Mexican 1998-99 Bean Production Estimates Improve
  MEXICO CITY -- Dec 31/98 -- Dry edible bean production levels in Mexico ended up much better than expected as the late planting of the fall crop was not greeted by significant frost problems before the crop could be harvested.

• Colored Bean Markets Lose Lustre
  VANCOUVER -- Dec 31/98 -- As the year on the calendar changes, so is the tone of international dry edible bean markets as seasonal inactivity and an absence of fresh bullish news allows values to drift lower.

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