Garth Patterson remains bullish about the future of the prairie chickpea industry, despite the toll taken by wet weather and frost this year.
Chickpeas were hampered this spring by too much rain in parts of southern Saskatchewan, the prime growing region. And fall frosts damaged later-seeded crops.
“It’s been a setback this year with the wet conditions,” said Patterson, executive director of Saskatchewan Pulse Growers. “But I’m bullish about the opportunities for Saskatchewan growers.”
Saskatchewan farmers grew 350,000 acres of chickpeas this year, a four-fold increase in acreage over 1998.
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Growers were attracted by the prospect of good prices, which remain strong as the crop comes off. The large type kabuli varieties were averaging about 30 cents per pound last week on the spot market.
The average yield for kabuli chickpeas in Saskatchewan last year was 1,200 lb. per acre.
The outlook for yields this year is not as great because of bad weather.
“Some guys are fortunate,” said Steve Foster, a merchandiser with Saskatchewan Wheat Pool’s special crops group. “But the lion’s share, I’m afraid, are going to have trouble this year.”
Susceptible to frost
Chickpeas take longer to mature than conventional crops such as red spring wheat. A killer frost can cause discolored seeds and smaller kernels.
That is particularly important for kabulis because they are generally eaten whole. Desi chickpeas are usually dehulled and split, so imperfections in the seed coat matter less.
“Generally speaking, it’s a mixed bag out there in terms of yield and quality,” Foster said. “It’s a bit of a scary one right now.”
While food quality chickpeas will likely hold their value, thanks in part to strong demand from India, those that fall to feed grade will probably trade under the price of feed peas.
The long growing season needed for chickpeas remains one of the crop’s greatest challenges. Faster-maturing varieties are being developed.
“It’s a crop with a lot of promise, but there are lots of things to learn,” said Ray McVicar, a Saskatchewan Agriculture specialist for special crops.
There are growers this year who are getting high yields and good quality in their chickpea fields. Southwestern Saskatchewan fared better because it did not get doused with the rains that plagued regions further east.
The crop seems to favor areas with lighter soils and a drier climate.
“I think we’ll have a lot of disappointing stories and a lot of positive stories told about the crop this winter,” McVicar said.
