July 15, 2009
Canadian pea exports set to establish new record
Demand for Canadian peas has been exceptionally strong during the 2008-2009 (August/July) crop year and shipments will hit a record high, according to an official with the market analysis division of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.
"Exports of Canada's peas will hit a record 2.600 million tonnes in 2008-09," said Bobby Morgan, the pulse and special crops analyst with the market analysis division.
That would surpass that current record of 2.566 million tonnes established in 2005-06.
Morgan said Canada's pea exports were sitting at 2.400 million tonnes with a month left in the crop year. Shipments of peas per month have been running at roughly 200,000 tonnes, mainly from Canada's West Coast.
"It certainly is not unreasonable to believe that shipments won't hit the record during that last month," he said.
Most of the pea demand has been from India, Morgan said, noting that Canadian shipments there will likely hit the 1.3 million ton level during 2008-2009, compared with 1.1 million in 2007-2008 and 900,000 in 2006-2007.
India's growing population and domestic crop production problems have made it necessary to seek out alternative suppliers, Morgan said. Canada's yellow food quality peas have been fitting that need.
Canadian pea shipments to Bangladesh have also increased significantly with exports seen hitting the 500,000- tonne level in 2008-2009, Morgan forecast. That would be up from 400,000 the previous year and 300,000 in 2006-2007.
China's demand was seen holding steady in 2008-2009 at 250,000 tonnes. Cuba was expected to import close to 150,000 tonnes in 2008-2009, which would be up from preceding years, when shipments from Canada have ranged from as low as 30,000 tonnes to as much as 100,000, Morgan said.
Morgan said Europe was seen taking roughly 75,000 to 100,000 tonnes of Canada's feed peas during the 2008-2009 crop year.
Canada's pea exports in the upcoming 2009-2010 crop year, however, are expected to decline slightly, falling to 2.450 million tonnes as production in western Canada declines from the previous season amid acreage shifts and yield reductions, Morgan said.
