Yellow Whole Peas: export from Canada to ASEAN

Yellow peas are Canada’s largest pulse crop by volume and the most versatile in end use, which is exactly why the grade conversation matters. The same field crop can go to human consumption, to splitting, to pet food, to feed compounding or to protein fractionation, and those buyers are not looking for the same thing.

For food-grade whole peas the drivers are colour, size uniformity, splitting yield if the buyer intends to split locally, and defect tolerance. For feed and pet food the drivers are protein content and price, and the specification is looser. Buying food-grade when the application is feed is a common and expensive mismatch in the other direction.

Production is concentrated in Saskatchewan and Alberta with a single annual harvest, so contracting behaviour follows the crop year rather than a rolling supply. Buyers planning a continuous programme should expect to contract forward rather than buy spot through a full year.

Specify the intended end use when you enquire. It changes which grade you should be quoted, and it changes the price more than any other single variable.