A list of dry bean buyers and marketers is available in the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture publication Saskatchewan Special Crop Marketing Company Listing. Several marketing companies offer production contracts, crop inputs and production advice for dry bean growers.
Market opportunities
Dry bean is the most widely traded pulse crop in the world. There are hundreds of market classes of dry bean produced, depending on local traditions, tastes, and demand.
More than 100 countries import dry bean. Major importers are India, Brazil, United States, Italy, and Mexico. However, imports made by these countries make up less than half of world imports.
Major exporting countries are Myanmar, China, Canada, the United States and Argentina. Annual world exports range from 2.6 to 3.5 million tonnes. Canada exports approximately 300,000 tonnes of dry bean annually, much of which goes to the United Kingdom and United States. The four largest producers of dry bean are Brazil, India, China, and Myanmar; however, some of these countries consume much of their domestic production.
Due to the increased consumption of Mexican and Caribbean foods, significant market opportunities exist in Canada for increased domestic use and exports of dry bean to United States, Mexico, and Caribbean countries.
Dry bean is used almost exclusively as food and is therefore a high-value crop. Very little is used in livestock feed as it requires some processing before it can be fed. For this reason, growers must take extra care to maintain high quality in your dry bean crop.
Economics of production
The proper identification of any crop disease can be difficult. It is strongly recommended that you test bean seed at an accredited for germination, vigour, and the presence of seed-borne diseases.
The provincial Crop Protection Laboratory in Regina provides foliar disease identification for a fee. They can also provide you information on fees and instructions for proper sample collection and transportation.
The Crop Planning Guide - Specialty Crops includes information on projected costs of production and expected returns of pinto bean in narrow-row production systems in Saskatchewan.