CNS Canada –– Most of the edible bean harvest in Manitoba is complete, according to a stakeholder in the industry, but he says market conditions are “flat” for the crop’s arrival.
“Your grower price: we’re at the 26 cent mark for pintos, navy are in the 28 (cent) mark. They were higher in springtime, early summer,” said Ben Friesen, a commodity purchasing manager with Legumex Walker.
One of the reasons for the weak price is likely found in Mexico, he said. Right now, Mexican buyers are staying fairly quiet.
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“They had a good crop of pintos last year, and they seem to be coming through again with a really good crop,” said Friesen, who will be watching to see if any brokers try to push the situation on the open market. None of the big commercials seem to be in a buying mood, he said.
“Maybe the buyers are waiting things out to see where things are at, looking at quality and everything, so we’re hoping we get an up-beat in the market,” he said.
This doesn’t appear to be a season that will break any yield records. “Yields were down, as it was a bit of a shorter crop,” said Friesen.
“On average we’ll be lower than last year’s numbers, but still OK,” said Dennis Lange, a farm production manager with Manitoba Agriculture and Food.
He said the area around Portage was a little stressed this year while the richest crops were likely in the Red River Valley. Fortunately, the recent snap of warm temperatures helped to mitigate the impact of excess moisture, felt earlier in the season.
Navy bean yields might be in the 1,500-1,700 kilograms per hectare range, said Lange, while pintos could be higher than that.
By the end of this week, Lange said, he believes the edible harvest harvest will essentially be wrapped up in the province.
According to the provincial crop report, 95 per cent of the edible bean harvest had been completed as of Monday.
— Dave Sims writes for Commodity News Service Canada, a Winnipeg company specializing in grain and commodity market reporting.
