Saskatchewan Pulse Growers is expanding a successful market development program it launched in India in 2008.
During a recent trade mission to India the grower group signed a memorandum of understanding with the Indian Institute of Crop Processing Technologies.
“What we’re trying to do is increase utilization of Canadian yellow peas and green lentils in Indian food products,” said SPG executive director Garth Patterson.
The project is a national version of an earlier project operated in conjunction with Tamil Nadu Agricultural University.
The two-year, $264,000 Tamil Nadu project, which was launched in 2008, determined that Saskatchewan grown green lentils are an effective substitute for Indian pigeon peas in traditional dishes.
That project, in conjunction with high pigeon pea prices, caused a big spike in Canadian green lentil exports to India in 2009-10. The country bought 283,995 tonnes of lentils that year, up from 67,999 the previous year.
SPG said the Tamil Nadu findings could pave the way for Canadian green lentils to capture up to 20 percent of the imported pigeon pea market. That would create a new market for 200,000 tonnes of product worth $160 million annually.
SPG’s new research partner is a national organization with a mandate to improve processing efficiencies, develop novel food products and disseminate that information to processors around the country.
The director of the institute was educated in North America and has many links to the region. Patterson described him as a “global thinker” who is interested in working on such international projects.
Saskatchewan Pulse Growers will supply the institute with research and development and technology transfer assistance.
The next step is to review and implement a draft research proposal prepared by the institute.
Patterson believes it will be three or four years before Canadian growers see any significant market impact from the agreement.
