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Specialty Crop News for May, 1997

• Lentil Bull Market Needs Weather Problems to Emerge
  VANCOUVER -- May 1/97 -- STAT -- International green lentil stocks are having trouble dropping to levels which make it easy for a bull market to develop. Weather problems in Canada during the growing season will probably be necessary for bulls to regain control of markets.

• U.S. Beans Bulled By Sales of Mexican Import Licenses
  VANCOUVER -- May 2/97 -- STAT -- North American dry edible bean processors ended weekly trading in a bullish mood as news of the results of the sale of this year's import licenses to Mexican buyers filtered out of the country.

• Canaryseed Markets Slumps Back Under $10
  VANCOUVER -- May 2/97 -- STAT -- Canadian canaryseed markets continued giving up recently recovered price territory as volumes of merchandise available to markets exceeded the needs of birdseed packagers and importers.

• Canadian Field Pea Ending Stocks Approach Zero
  VANCOUVER -- May 2/97 -- STAT -- Canadian field pea disappearance rates picked up steam last week as processors reported recent export business to Cuba, China and Europe's compound feed industry as part of an important shift in demand from green to whole yellow peas.

• Summer Import Enquiry Rises for Eston Lentil
  VANCOUVER -- May 2/97 -- STAT -- Improved export buying interest was noted in Canadian lentil markets during the week.

• Yellow Pea Demand, Prices Continue Rising
  VANCOUVER -- May 2/97 -- STAT -- Canadian yellow field peas remained the hot sector of the international field pea complex.

• Costa Rica Lowers Bean Import Duty to 1%
  SAN JOSE -- May 6/97 -- Costa Rica lowered import duties on dry edible beans from 20% to 1% recently in an effort to stimulate imports to help offset the massive impact of drop production problems.

• Seeding Underway in Most Pulse Areas in North America
  VANCOUVER -- May 6/97 -- Seeding is underway in most parts of North America, with some field peas, dryedible beans and lentils being planted alongside traditional grains and oilseeds.

• Australian Chick Pea Supply-Demand Estimates

• Australian Lupin Supply-Demand Estimates

• Australian Field Pea Supply-Demand Estimates

• USDA Buys Pulses for Food Aid
  KANSAS CITY -- May 8/97 -- The USDA's Commodity Credit Corporation Office here announced the following commodity purchases for Export Distribution.

• Mexican Bean TRQ Auction Results Confirmed
  MEXICO CITY -- May 9/97 -- Results of the recent auction of duty-free dry edible bean import licenses for Mexico were confirmed by the U.S. agricultural attache here, with the price paid pegged at U.S. $1.77 cwt.

• Europe Pea Area Hits Record 1.055 million Hectares
  VANCOUVER -- May 9/97 -- STAT -- Solid increases in European Community pulse production will occur this summer in the absence of further weather problems in France as growers in the region seed what is believed to be a record 1.055 million hectares of field peas this spring.

• Australia's Chick Pea Surplus Exhausted
  VANCOUVER -- May 9/97 -- STAT -- Human consumption demand for field peas and small calibre chick peas has soared beyond the expectations of the market this season, with the result both Canada and Australia could be effectively sold out of these products by August.

• European Community -- Field Bean Production Estimates

• Expectations of Business Support North American Beans
  VANCOUVER -- May 9/97 -- STAT -- Talk of demand for North American dry edible beans continued to support the mood of processors and exporters in that country.

• Canaryseed Market Recovers on Acreage Reduction
  VANCOUVER -- May 9/97 -- STAT -- Canadian canaryseed markets recovered some lost ground last week as markets responded to predictions of a massive decrease in seeded area from 580,000 acres last summer to 342,100 acres this spring.

• Canadian Lentils Firmed by Rising Trading Interest
  VANCOUVER -- May 9/97 -- STAT -- Continued improvement in the volume of lentils committed by processors and exporters to end users was unable to add life to international lentil markets.

• Steady Enquiries Supports Field Pea Complex
  VANCOUVER -- May 9/97 -- STAT -- If enquiries were sales, the remaining Canadian and Australian field and chick peas were sold at least twice last week.

• European Community -- Field Bean Production Estimates

• Specialty Crop Seeding Jumps Forward in Saskatchewan
  REGINA -- May 13/97 -- Rapid progress seeding this year's specialty crop acreage in Saskatchewan was made during the past week.

• Honey Bees Suffer Winter Stress in Nova Scotia
  HALIFAX -- May 14/97 -- The overwintering conditions for honey bee colonies in Nova Scotia this past winter were less than favourable, according to the provincial agriculture department.

• Steep Decline in U.S. Domestic Pea Sales
  MOSCOW -- May 14/97 -- Domestic sales of dry peas and lentils grown in Washington, Idaho and Oregon are plunging in the face of stiff price competition from other parts of the United States and Canada.

• Medicinal Fireweed Plant Set up in Saskatchewan
  SASKATOON -- May 15/97 -- An extract of the willowherb is poised to be successfully marketed in the United States, according to Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food's Agricultural Development Fund and Fytokem Products Inc.

• Clover Harvest Winds up in the Pewace River
  EDMONTON -- May 16/97 -- Alberta Agriculture -- As the majority of producers are completing spring field operations and focusing available energy on putting seed into the ground, others are harvesting residual crops from last year, write Alberta Agriculture economists in their latest weekly review of grass seed and specialty crop market conditions in that province.

• Stock Estimates Reveal Stagnant U.S. Green Pea Demand
  VANCOUVER -- May 16/97 -- STAT -- The latest stocks on hand report from the USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council is a little dusty, reflecting conditions on February 28, but it underscores how impoverished demand for U.S. green peas is this season.

• Bangladesh Holds Key to Mustard Seed Market
  VANCOUVER -- May 16/97 -- STAT -- Bangladesh holds the key to the overall price performance of mustard seed during the 1997-98 marketing campaign. Unfortunately, new crop trading is not starting with the same kind of optimism about demand which consumed markets between 1993 and 1995.

• Bean Markets Trend Lower Without Fresh Demand
  VANCOUVER -- May 16/97 -- STAT -- The lack of new business last week combined with general seeding in most dry edible bean areas to keep markets quiet.

• Birsdseed Ingredient Market at Top Of Trading Range
  VANCOUVER -- May 16/97 -- STAT -- North American birdseed ingredient markets were mostly unchanged in a week which saw canaryseed move to the upper side of its recent trading range.

• Seeding Progress Helps Drag Lentil Market Lower
  VANCOUVER -- May 16/97 -- STAT -- During seeding, no news can be bad news for markets. This was certainly the case for international lentil markets last week.

• Chick Peas Continue Leading Field Pea Complex
  VANCOUVER -- May 16/97 -- STAT -- The international field pea ended the week unchanged to firmer.

• USDA Tenders for 3,990 MT Beans For Food Aid
  KANSAS CITY -- May 20/97 -- The USDA's Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) office here released details of a PL-480 food aid tender today. Details of the tender are as follows:

• USDA Seeks Offers on 3,990 MT Beans
  KANSAS CITY -- STAT -- The total quantity of dry edible beans covered by USDA PL-480 food aid tender this season now totals 31,861 MT, compared to 26,885 MT last year.

• Specialty Crop Seeding Progress Good in Saskatchewan
  REGINA -- Mar 22/97 -- Last week's excellent progress planting specialty crops in Saskatchewan may not be repeated this week as cooler, wetter weather moves across the province.

• Safflower Fits South Dakota Cropping Conditions
  BROOKINGS, SD -- May 23/97 -- Safflower could become an important alternative crop for growers in South Dakota seeking to expand the options available to them is the conclusion reached in the following article by Dr. Larry Tennyson, of the South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station.

• Specialty Crop Grower Markets Easier in Alberta
  EDMONTON -- May 23/97 -- Western Canada's seeding was rapidly progressing the week proceeding the long weekend, but a mix of cool, wet and snowy weather has delayed more recent seeding attempts, note agricultural economists working for Alberta Agriculture.

• France -- Field Pea Supply-Demand Update

• French Field Pea Stocks Falling Rapidly
  VANCOUVER -- May 23/97 -- STAT -- Current marketing trends in France point to unusually tight ending stocks this summer as field peas remaining unsold from the 1996-97 marketing year plunge to 0.44% of usage or just under two days worth of product.

• Light Mexican Buying Fails to Support U.S. Beans
  VANCOUVER -- May 23/97 -- STAT -- North American dry edible bean markets appeared to maintain their focus on Mexico last week, forcing markets slightly lower as sizeable demand failed to materialize.

• Limited Buying Leaves Birdseeds Mostly Unchanged
  VANCOUVER -- May 23/97 -- STAT -- North American birdseed ingredient markets were unchanged to easier in a week which saw limited export and domestic trading interest.

• Canadian Lentils Weaken, While U.S. Steady
  VANCOUVER -- May 23/97 -- STAT -- North American lentil markets ended weekly trading on a mixed note.

• Field Pea Complex Steady in Light Demand
  VANCOUVER -- May 23/97 -- STAT -- Few changes were reported in international field pea markets during the week.

• Canadian Canaryseed Supply-Demand Estimates

• Canadian Lentil Supply-Demand Estimates

• Canadian Field Pea Supply-Demand Estimates

• Thunder Bay Clearances Behind Last Year
  WINNIPEG -- May 26/97 -- Specialty crop clearances through the Port of Thunder Bay in Ontario continue to lag the previous year's pace according to the latest figures from the Lake Shippers Clearance Association.

• Canadian Mustard Seed Supply-Demand Estimates

• U.S. Green Pea Supply-Demand Estimates

• U.S. Lentil Supply-Demand Estimates

• Alberta Field Pea Crop Seeding Nearly Complete
  EDMONTON -- May 27/97 -- Alberta Agriculture -- Snow, rain, frost, and a small sliver of sunshine would aptly describe the weather conditions across Alberta the past week.

• Alberta Field Pea Crop Seeding Nearly Complete
  EDMONTON -- May 27/97 -- Alberta Agriculture -- Snow, rain, frost, and a small sliver of sunshine would aptly describe the weather conditions across Alberta the past week.

• Canadian Specialty Crop Seeding Nears End
  VANCOUVER -- May 28/97 -- STAT -- Canadian specialty crop planting is entering the final stages, judging from the latest seeding progress estimates released by provincial agriculture departments for Saskatchewan and Alberta.

• CRP Could Be Factor in Forage Markets
  EDMONTON -- May 30/97 -- Forage seed markets were mostly unchanged under quiet trading conditions, according to the latest review of specialty crop market conditions by Alberta Agriculture.

• Canaryseed Stocks Supress Instincts of Market Bulls
  VANCOUVER -- May 30/97 -- STAT -- Suppliers to the world's birdseed packaging industry are looking for help from Mother Nature to return prices to levels seen during the first half of the current decade.

• Improving Export Enquiry Fails to Spark Bean Markets
  VANCOUVER -- May 30/97 -- STAT -- Improving export enquiry for several types of dry edible beans grown in the United States left markets mostly unchanged.

• Birdseed Demand Relaxes, But Markets Steady
  VANCOUVER -- May 30/97 -- STAT -- North American birdseed ingredient markets ended weekly trading mostly unchanged.

• Canadian Lentil Market Domination Frustrates Competitors
  VANCOUVER -- May 30/97 -- STAT -- International lentil markets were mostly unchanged in a week which saw a slight improvement in trading volume.

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