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 ...