Kabuli chickpea prices are strengthening on reports of worldwide production problems.
Agriculture Canada expects the global chickpea harvest to fall nine percent to 7.9 million tonnes, down from 8.66 million in 2003-04.
Canada is expected to see a sharper drop, with production falling 19 percent due to later-than-normal crop development.
Exports that peaked at 179,000 tonnes in 2000-01 are forecast to fall to a six-year low of 40,000 tonnes and quality will be a “mixed bag,” said Ray McVicar, special crops specialist with Saskatchewan Agriculture.
Growers in his province planted 86 percent of Canada’s 140,000 acre chickpea crop. As of last week, only 36 percent of that crop had been combined and another 11 percent swathed.
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“I think maturity was more of an issue than the Aug. 20 frost,” said McVicar. “There will be some that won’t be harvested.”
There will also be problems with high green seed counts, but producers shouldn’t despair. The same situation occurred in the early days of the Canadian chickpea industry.
“We thought perhaps there would be no market for the crop. I know of growers who were wondering if they should dig a hole and bury the product and by Christmas it was sold.”
The lesson is that there are markets for lower grade product, albeit at reduced prices.
Those fortunate enough to harvest quality chickpeas are looking at strong prices, especially for kabulis.
Last week, growers were getting 18 cents per pound for B-90s, 25 cents per lb. for eight millimetre and 35 cents per lb. for nine mm kabulis, prices that are well above the long-term averages for those classes.
“It’s on the way up,” said McVicar.
He attributed the surge to a poor Mexican crop that is expected to be 38 percent below last year’s production. Canada’s substandard harvest is also a contributing factor, although this country isn’t the price-setter it was a few years ago when growers planted 1.2 million acres of the crop.
Desi chickpeas are priced at 12 cents per lb., slightly below their long-term average.
