Pulses: Australia rushes to harvest pulses

By Dave Sims, Commodity News Service Canada

Winnipeg, December 28 – A new report from the United
Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)says about a
third of the world’s soils are damaged due to erosion. The
report urges countries to take action in a number of ways. One
of these involves planting more chickpeas, lentils and other
pulse crops.
Canada continues to chew through its pea stocks. According
to the latest statistics from the country’s grain handling
commission, 268,500 tonnes of commercial stocks were on hand as
of the week ended December 18. That compares to 295,600 the week
before.
Trading activity of dried beans in the US continues to be
steady, according to the latest information from the USDA.
Demand is light with products moving steady although finding
trucks has been an issue for some growers. The drop in value of
the peso is also a feature.
Farmers in Southeastern Australia’s Victoria region were
rushing to harvest chickpeas and lentils over the weekend,
according to a report in The Weekly Times. Lentils were trading
at AU$650-$678/tonne last week while chickpeas were also showing
strong bids.