From Drought to Recovery: Canadian Dry Pea Production Trends MY 2021-22 to MY 2025-26

Canada is one of the world's leading producers and exporters of dry peas, with production concentrated in the Prairie provinces. Saskatchewan is the country's largest pea-producing province, followed by Alberta and Manitoba, which together account for the vast majority of Canada's output.

The past five marketing years have been marked by significant fluctuations in production, driven largely by changing weather conditions. The most challenging season was MY 2021-22, when extreme heat and severe drought across the Prairie region caused one of the poorest harvests in decades. Although harvested area remained relatively high at 1.50 million hectares, production plunged to just 2.24 million metric tonnes (MMT), more than 50% below the previous year's level.

Conditions improved considerably in MY 2022-23. Despite a further decline in harvested area to about 1.34 million hectares, much stronger yields lifted production to 3.42 MMT, representing a recovery of more than 53% from the drought-affected crop.

Production remained relatively stable over the following two seasons. In MY 2024-25, higher global prices and firm export demand encouraged farmers to expand pea acreage. Harvested area increased to 1.28 million hectares, while production approached 3.0 MMT despite mixed weather conditions across key growing regions.

The strongest rebound came in MY 2025-26. Seeded area rose to 1.42 million hectares, the highest since MY 2021-22, as growers responded to favourable market conditions. Timely rainfall and improved growing conditions resulted in substantially higher yields, pushing production to an estimated 3.9 MMT—more than 31% above the previous year. The larger crop, combined with strong export demand, further strengthened Canada's position as a leading supplier in the global pea market and significantly improved the country's overall supply outlook.

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