In recent years, chickpea acreage has been rising. | Getty Images

Chickpea acres prepare to mount a comeback

With harvest in the home stretch in southern regions, thoughts turn to cropping plans for next year. In the typically drier brown and dark brown soil zones, more chickpeas will be seeded next spring. Chickpeas don’t get a lot of attention because they aren’t a widespread cropping choice. The Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corp. will only […] Read more

A bumper crop of Australian chickpeas could push down price and demand for Canadian peas. | File photo

Chickpeas could help make or break pea market

Canadian pea exports to India soar when the country is short of desi chickpeas, and Australia is looking at a bumper crop SASKATOON — The yellow pea market hinges on one key factor this year, says an analyst.“The outlook is 80 per cent political, 20 per cent fundamental,” said Greg Kostal, president of Kostal Ag […] Read more

Farmers in the U.S. have planted 529,900 acres of chickpeas, a 42 percent increase over the previous year, according to the USDA’s Farm Service Agency. | Screencap via saskpulse.com

Wealth of chickpeas will affect export market

SASKATOON — The United States could be sitting on a massive stockpile of kabuli chickpeas by the end of the 2024-25 crop year, says an analyst. Farmers in that country planted 529,900 acres of chickpeas, a 42 percent increase over the previous year, according to the USDA’s Farm Service Agency. Related stories: The breakdown by […] Read more


The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) is forecasting 1.15 million tonnes of chickpea production in 2024-25. | Getty Images

Chickpeas galore in Australia could impact yellow pea prospects

SASKATOON — Australia’s desi chickpeas could provide stiff competition for Canada’s yellow peas in India this year. Farmers Down Under could be harvesting a massive crop based on early-season expectations. Related stories: The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) is forecasting 1.15 million tonnes of chickpea production in 2024-25. That would […] Read more

Statistics Canada estimates growers planted 400,000 acres of the crop. Jake Hansen, general manager of Mid-West Grain, thinks it will be closer to 350,000 acres, which would still be the fourth biggest crop in the last two decades. | Getty Images

Chickpea outlook bright

SASKATOON — Canada’s chickpea crop is off to a good start. “I’m new to the area, but what I’m being told by those who are veterans here, this is a good year, and it could lead to a pretty good outcome from a yield perspective on everything,” said Jake Hansen, general manager of Mid-West Grain. […] Read more


Due to predictions of a smaller chickpea crop, the Indian government dropped the import restrictions on peas through March 31, 2024. | Reuters photo

Will India open a second window for duty-free pea imports?

SASKATOON — The Indian government might have to consider opening a second window for duty-free yellow pea imports, according to a senior industry official from that country. “Maybe in the back end of the season,” Manek Gupta, managing director of Viterra India PVT Ltd., said during a recent webinar hosted by the India Pulses and […] Read more

Close-up of ripe chickpeas hanging on a plant.

Persistent crop estimate discrepancies lead to uncertainty

Sask. crop insurance acreage data is substantially different from Statistics Canada’s numbers for many small-acre crops

Pulse and special crops growers and traders should get used to significant discrepancies between federal and provincial agencies when it comes to gauging the size of the Canadian crop, says an analyst. The bulk of those crops are grown in Saskatchewan where the provincial government often seems at odds with Statistics Canada. “It’s going to […] Read more

A lentil field with root rot symptoms. It can take 11 to 12 years to come up with a viable new cultivar when working with domesticated and wild varieties. | University of Saskatchewan/Crop Development Centre photo

Wild varieties may hold disease resistance key

Wild cousins of domesticated crops may hold the key to new genetic traits that could help crops thrive in various conditions or stave off diseases and insect pests.Sabine Banniza is a professor at the University of Saskatchewan where she holds the Ministry of Agriculture Strategic Research Program (SRP) Chair in Pulse Crop Pathology. She has […] Read more