Canadian farmers are expected to plant fewer lentils and dry peas in 2026, while acreage intentions for other pulse and specialty crops show a more mixed outlook, according to a Statistics Canada report released Thursday.
National lentil area is projected at 4.137 million acres, down 5.5% from last year and the lowest level since 2023. Meanwhile, dry pea acreage is expected to fall even more steeply. Farmers across Canada intend to plant 3.078 million acres, down 12.3% from 2025 and also the lowest since 2023.
The decline in lentil intentions may reflect large supplies following strong production in 2025, StatsCan said. Saskatchewan — which accounts for nearly 90% of Canada’s lentil production — is expected to seed 3.6 million acres, down 4.3% from last year, while Alberta producers plan to cut lentil plantings more sharply by 13.4% to 489,500 acres.
Saskatchewan growers are projected to reduce pea area by 16.6% to about 1.5 million acres, while Alberta acreage is forecast to slip 3.9% to 1.4 million acres. The decline is likely tied to weaker returns relative to competing crops, partly due to tariffs imposed by key importing countries, Statscan said.
Other pulse and special crop intentions vary widely. Dry bean acreage is expected to drop sharply to 295,000 acres, down 30.7% from last year and the lowest since 2015. Sunflower area is projected to fall 12.6% to 66,100 acres, while canary seed plantings are forecast to decline 5.8% to 300,800 acres.
In contrast, other specialty crops are expected to see significant increases. Mustard acreage is projected to jump 35.1% to 488,300 acres, while flax plantings are expected to rise 21.4% to 753,200 acres, the highest level since 2022. Chickpea acreage is also forecast to grow, increasing 6.3% to 575,000 acres — which, if realized, would mark the largest chickpea area since 2001.
