Canada needs strong global lentil demand in 2025-26

One of Canada’s top lentil customers had an extremely disappointing crop this year.

Farmers in Turkey harvested 230,000 tonnes of red lentils, a 43 per cent drop from the previous year, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute.

It is the third lowest red lentil crop on record.

Growers produced another 29,700 tonnes of greens, a 58 per cent decline from the previous year.

Why it Matters: The hope is that Turkey’s poor crop will stimulate import demand in Canada’s second largest market behind India.

“We do need good news, especially with what looks to be a pretty good Australian crop coming,” said Western Producer markets desk analyst Bruce Burnett.

“The smallish Turkish crop helps.”

Turkey purchased 406,738 tonnes of lentils through the first nine months of 2025. Kazakhstan was the leading supplier, accounting for 42 per cent of those imports.

Canada took second spot, supplying 36 per cent of the country’s needs during that timeframe.

Mercantile Consulting Venture is forecasting that Turkey will buy 325,000 tonnes of lentils in the 2025-26 crop year.

Canada needs all the demand it can muster because farmers in this country produced an estimated 2.97 million tonnes of the crop, according to Statistics Canada.

That is 22 per cent higher than last year and the second biggest crop on record, next to the 3.19 million tonnes produced in 2016.

Burnett noted that quality is as big of a story as quantity this year.

“Our crop is large, but the quality is quite variable,” he said.

Saskatchewan Agriculture estimates that only 22 per cent of the crop made the top grade compared to the 10-year average of 31 per cent.

Another 20 per cent made the bottom two grades, with some of those lentils destined for the feed market.

In a recent article written for Saskatchewan Pulse Growers, Mercantile estimates the breakdown at 1.54 million tonnes of reds, 972,000 tonnes of large and medium greens and 455,000 tonnes of small greens.

Green lentils are much better supplied than the last three years, while red lentil production is about 180,000 tonnes lower than last year. That is why the price spread between greens and reds has narrowed.

Canadian lentil supply could reach 3.6 million tonnes, nearly one million tonnes more than last year.

Production is up in all the other major exporting regions, including Kazakhstan, Russia and Australia.

The Australian government pegs Australia’s lentil harvest at 1.71 million tonnes, but that number could rise when new estimates are released Dec. 2.

Stat believes carryout stocks in Australia will be higher than last year, despite a stronger export program.

Global lentil production is estimated at 7.6 million tonnes, a 15 per cent increase over last year.

“The supply of lentils is all but assured, and now the depth of demand will determine price developments,” said Mercantile.

India is the world’s largest lentil importer. Mercantile expects the country to buy 650,000 tonnes of the crop in 2025-26. Canada will face stiff competition in that market from Australia.

Canada’s total exports are forecast at 2.1 million tonnes, up from 1.84 million tonnes in 2024-25.

Carryout is estimated at a burdensome 1.15 million tonnes, resulting in a heavy 45 per cent stocks-to-use ratio.

Stat Publishing believes Statistics Canada will raise its Canadian production number in its final survey-based estimate to be released Dec. 4.

“Provincial data suggest production could be up to 600,000 tonnes larger than the September forecast,” Stat said in a recent article.

That would put even further pressure on carryout, although there could be strong domestic feed demand for lentils. Stat thinks carryout could reach a record 1.19 million tonnes.

Tags: Canada, crop, imports, lentil, Australia, Kazakhstan, Turkey