NISKU, Alta. – Patience is the commodity most needed while trying to break into the Indian market.
Alfred Wahl’s first trip to India in 2006 showed him the potential for the development of the hog industry, but four years and three trips later he has had no sales from his Alberta-based Polar Genetics Group, part of Peak Swine Genetics Inc.
Wahl still hopes to be the first company to sell semen to India. It’s been more than 10 years since the last live hog was exported to India and the herd has become inbred, he said.
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Wahl is also hoping Alberta premier Ed Stelmach’s trip to India in November will help smooth the way for better trade.
Unlike Saskatchewan, with its shipments of potash and pulses to India, there is little agriculture trade between Alberta and India.
Despite a majority of vegetarian Hindus in India, Wahl estimated about 300 million non-vegetarians are looking for more meat, including pork.
Government run 100-sow pig operations scattered across the country are part of a poverty-elimination program designed to make weaner pigs available to small farmers.
“We met with high level officials and are anticipating continued interest both nationally and at the states level in increasing pig production through diversification and making more animals for people,” said Wahl.
“The price of pigs is quite high in India. There’s an interest from the government to increase production in India.”
As well as semen sales, Wahl believes there is an opportunity to help streamline the process from production to processing of the country’s roughly 15 million pigs.
There is no vertically integrated system of raising, processing and selling pigs to market.
Punjab officials are considering bringing in pig semen and officials from the northeastern Indian states, which is mainly a meat-eating population, are interested in developing an improved hog industry.
Wahl believes with more relationship building his patience will eventually pay off.
“Government officials are anxious to make that happen.”
Kimberley Bryce, project leader for the Saskatchewan Research Council’s GenServe Laboratories, and a group of Canadian dairy experts recently returned from touring India’s dairy industry. They visited research stations and production facilities to get an understanding of how the Canadians may be able to help with extension, nutrition and genetic improvement.
