Canadian wheat area rises to highest level in decade

Ottawa, July 6 (IANS) Canadian farmers reported planting 25.4 million acres of wheat in 2022, up 8.7 per cent from 2021, to the highest level in a decade, Statistics Canada has said.

Higher total wheat area was led by spring wheat area, which rose 10.5 per cent to 18.2 million acres, and higher durum wheat area, which rose 8.6 per cent to 6 million acres, the national statistical office said, quoting the result of the 2022 June Field Crop Survey, which was conducted from May 13 to June 12, with approximately 25,000 farms.

Winter wheat, grown predominantly in eastern Canada, decreased 12.7 per cent to 1.2 million acres, the office said, adding that the increase in total wheat area may be attributable to favourable prices and strong global demand, Xinhua news agency reported.

According to the result of the survey, canola area was down despite strong demand. Farmers reported planting 21.4 million acres of canola in 2022, down 4.7 per cent from the previous year. Despite high prices, area may have decreased as farmers shifted to alternate crops such as cereals.

In general, Canadian farmers reported planting more wheat, lentils, corn for grain and oats, but fewer acres of canola, barley, soybeans and dry peas, Statistics Canada said.

Seeding in eastern Canada progressed well. Temperatures were at or above normal early in the growing season. Precipitation was below normal in parts of southern Ontario and the Maritimes, while northern and eastern parts of Ontario and most of Quebec received above-normal precipitation.

Aside from environmental conditions, high input prices, high crop prices resulting from low national and global supply, and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine likely impacted farmers' final seeding decisions, Statistics Canada said.