Sask. pulse growers await word from India
Farmers and processors in Saskatchewan have a lot riding on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s trip to India this week, according to a Saskatchewan farmer’s group.
Carl Potts, Executive Director of Saskatchewan Pulse Growers, said he is hoping the topic of peas and lentils comes up this week during trade talks. Specifically, Potts said he would like to see Canada receive an exemption from India’s rule which requires all countries fumigate their shipments.
“We don’t have the pests of concern that India is concerned with, and there’s really no scientific basis for applying that requirement to Canada,” he said.
Back in November, India imposed a 50-per-cent import tax on peas. Canadian pulse growers are poised to take the biggest financial hit, as India is currently Canada’s largest market for pulses. The country takes in roughly 40 per cent of all Canadian pulse exports.