Old Crop soft commodities world-wide remain in tight supply. Protein prices (soybeans) and rice are close to an all-time high, as is the cost of nitrogen. Questions remain too over future imports of GM maize gluten for animal feed. To what extent can locally sourced peas/beans replace these imports?

Spring drilling of both peas & beans is well underway. Defra’s December stats quote an increase of 15.6% in sowing of winter beans to 68,000 ha – better than expected. The PGRO/Syngenta meetings in January also suggest that spring beans will come back from recent lows. Fuego seed is in short supply but other varieties are available. Pea acres however will remain at current lows if this feedback is accurate.

The French pea crop is rumoured to be down again by as much as 35% (beans +5%). We will know more later this month after a Brussels meeting which PGRO will attend. The March report from Canada, by contrast, predicts pea acres will increase there by 10% on the back of little carry-over, high prices, and soaring nitrogen prices.

The Australian crop remains an unknown quantity. Pulse Australia reports rain is ending the

drought in some key agricultural areas.

Feed Beans

Prices remain very firm at well over £200/tonne with the old crop largely traded out and little carry-over.

Export Beans

High prices and strong sterling have slowed Middle East business as Egypt waits for their own crop in May, and rumoured supply from Ethiopia. However weather in Egypt has been less than favourable. If Defra stats are to be believed, and the weather is more conducive to higher yields, supply may ease in the autumn. Quality and Bruchid are the key words here – see notes below on the latter.

Marrowfats

There are few lots remaining in store as growers await higher prices. However with prices twice those we reported 12 months ago, Far Eastern buyers are staying away from the market at the moment.

Blue Peas

Processors continue to express concern about future UK supply. Prices remain very strong. Prophet variety seed is tight but alternatives such

as Paris, Nitouche and Zero4 are available.

PGRO/Syngenta Pulse Meetings

Five regional meetings entitled “Let Pulses Work For You” were held recently in York, Telford, Thornhaugh, Basingstoke, and Bicester. The attendance totalled about 325 growers/agronomists. The focus was on markets, rotational benefits of pulses, crop protection, new varieties, and quality.

Agronomy notes…..

The Defra funded LINK project on Bruchid control is already yielding some strong pointers for improved control methods. The revised recommendations for spraying this year will be published in the new Information Sheet available from PGRO web site shortly. A workshop held in March led by PGRO, examined the basis of a perceived yield decline of pulses despite improvements in varieties and husbandry. No firm conclusions were reached but pointers towards areas of investigation were discussed. These included rotation and frequency of pulse cropping, soil condition and root development, nodulation, crop nutrition, and climate changes.