Farmers in a Quandary Due to Massive Lentil Stocks in Canada

09-Apr-2026 08:46 PM

Saskatoon. The crop insurance corporation of Saskatchewan—Canada's leading agricultural province—has raised its estimated average yield rate for lentils for the 2025 season, setting it at 30.5 bushels per acre. Consequently, the lentil production figure in the region has increased by an additional 260,000 tonnes.

This estimated yield rate is approximately 2 bushels per acre higher than the projections made by Statistics Canada. Canadian farmers are already holding substantial stocks of lentils, and with the addition of these new figures, the total inventory has swelled even further.

While lentil exports are proceeding at a normal pace, it is anticipated that the carryover surplus stock at the end of the marketing season will rise to a new record high.

The 2025-26 marketing season is scheduled to conclude in July. A pressing question looms in the minds of producers: will there be a surge in demand for lentils during the four-month period from April to July 2026 sufficient to facilitate the liquidation of this massive stockpile?

Australia is already an active player in the global market with its own lentil supplies, while the new crop has also begun arriving in India. Despite the massive inventory, lentil prices in Canadian markets do not appear to be under significant downward pressure.