Canada's Mustard Seed Industry

Mustard seed, (Brassica spp.) is an annual, cool season crop that can be grown in a short growing season, commonly in rotation with small grains. A relative of canola, mustard seed has the advantage of being more tolerant to drought, heat, and frost. Canada produces three mustard types: yellow (Sinapis alba), brown, and oriental (Brassica juncea).

To date, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) has undertaken the majority of mustard seed research in Canada. However, recently the industry has agreed on a levy that will support research projects. Over the last ten years, research stations in Western Canada have released consistently improving varieties of this crop. Present day varieties of yellow and oriental mustard have characteristics that are specific to various segments of the marketplace. Current objectives for breeding include the development of improved cultivars of all mustard varieties and a number of quality enhancements. These include better adaptation to the semi-arid soils, and increases in yield as well as in oil and protein content. Some varieties with low oil content have also been developed for dry milling purposes. Recently, AAFC developed a new canola-quality mustard plant that could potentially be cultivated in drier regions of Western Canada

Area of Production

Western Canada has been one of the major producers of mustard seed since World War II, when supplies from Western Europe B the historic base of production B were disrupted. The Canadian mustard seed area of production is concentrated in the Prairie Provinces, particularly in Saskatchewan, which accounted for approximately 80% of production area in 2003.

The area of production for mustard seed decreased 42% between 1999 and 2001, falling from 273 thousand hectares to 158 thousand hectares. In 2002, the harvested area began to recover, increasing to 255 thousand hectares. The upward trend in production area continued in 2003, increasing 108% from the decade low of 2001 to 328 thousand hectares. The forecast for 2004 is for the harvested area of mustard seed to slip 15% to 280 thousand hectares ⁽¹⁾. Recently, a new canola-quality mustard plant was developed that could potentially be cultivated in more diverse regions of Canada and thus increase mustard seed production area.

Yield

Seed yields of brown and oriental mustard are typically higher than yields of yellow mustard. Yields have decreased significantly over the past five years. Between 1999 and 2002, mustard seed yield fell 46% from 1.12 tonnes per hectare to 0.61 tonnes per hectare, due to a drought in western Canada occurring in 2001 and 2002. The largest drop occurred in 2001 when yield fell from 0.97 tonnes per hectare in 2000 down to 0.66 tonnes per hectare. The yield began to rebound slowly in 2003, rising to 0.69 tonnes per hectare, although still 38% below the 1999 level. Mustard seed yield is expected to have another small increase in 2004, with yield growing to 0.71 tonnes per hectare. ⁽¹⁾

Volume of Production

Canada was the world's largest producer of mustard seed in 2003, accounting for 36% of global production. Between 1999 and 2001, production fell almost 66%, from 306 thousand tonnes to 105 thousand tonnes, due to lower yields and poor weather conditions in western Canada. However, despite continued poor weather conditions in 2002, the downward trend was reversed when production expanded 47% to reach 154 thousand tonnes. Production continued to rise in 2003, increasing an additional 47% to 226 thousand tonnes. Mustard seed production is forecast to drop to 200 thousand tonnes, due to a 16% decrease in seeded area. Production is expected to decrease for the brown and yellow types but to increase slightly for the oriental mustard seed. ⁽¹⁾

Disposition

Canada was the world's largest exporter in 2003, with 54% of domestic production destined for exports. Canadian mustard seed exports are mainly in the bulk, unprocessed form. Relative to production, export volume was relatively stable between 1999 and 2002, fluctuating between 160 and 148 thousand tonnes. In 2003, export volume dropped 17% to 122 thousand tonnes. Canadian mustard seed exports are expected to increase to 165 thousand tonnes, as a result of increased demand. ⁽¹⁾

The United States was the largest export market for Canadian mustard seed in 2003, importing 41% of Canadian exports. The next largest markets were Belgium and Bangladesh with shares of 25% and 9%, respectively.

Additional Information

Mustard seed is used primarily in the condiment and food industries, in the form of either seed or oil. Yellow mustard seed, the mildest of the three types, is suitable for a wide range of applications, including dry milling for flour, wet milling for mustard pastes, and whole ground seed for spice mixes, meat processing, and other food products. The oil content of yellow mustard seed is the lowest of the three types of mustard at approximately 27%. Brown and oriental mustard seed are hot and spicy. Brown mustard seed is ground into flour which is used to produce hot mustard used in European products. The oil content of brown mustard seed is about 36%. Oriental mustard seed is often used to produce spicy cooking oils. There are oriental mustard seed varieties grown in Canada that have oil contents of up to 50%, although the average oil content is approximately 39%.

For the latest market information and analysis available from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, please consult the following publications:

• Canada: Pulse and Special Crops Outlook
• Bi-weekly Bulletin
• Drought Watch

⁽¹⁾  Forecast based on August-July crop year, Market Analysis Division, Strategic Policy Branch, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, April 28, 2004.