WINNIPEG (CNS Canada) — Almost three weeks since an India pulse fumigation fee extension expired, the Canadian pulse industry last week was still in the dark as to what is happening.
The exemption applied to fees charged on pulses that would require fumigation upon arrival in India.
With the exemption expired on Sept. 30, Canadian exporters can still send unfumigated pulses to India until Dec. 31, but will have to pay inspection fees five times higher than normal, amounting to about $15 a tonne.
“We’re just looking to have some clarity as to how Canada-India pulse trade’s going to play out in the long term and with a long term policy solution,” said Gordon Bacon, chief executive of Pulse Canada on Oct. 20.
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Canada had been exempt since 2004 from Indian government regulations requiring pulse fumigation.
What were annually renewed exemptions were recently shifted to six-month renewals. In July Canada got an exemption to the end of December, but the exemption from the higher fees was only three months,until Sept. 30.
Bacon has become increasingly frustrated because other exporters, such as the United States and France, had their inspection fee exemption extended to the end of December.
“India can do many things at a domestic level but there’s no basis for treating Canada differently (for trade),” he said.
