Pulse industry officials contend that the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework on Climate Change (COP28) has paved the way for increased global attention and investment in crops like peas, lentils, chickpeas and beans.  |  File photo

Pulses seen as COP28 winner

SASKATOON — A recently concluded global meeting on climate change has created a huge opportunity for pulses, say industry officials. They contend that the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework on Climate Change (COP28) has paved the way for increased global attention and investment in crops such as peas, lentils, chickpeas […] Read more

Due to predictions of a smaller chickpea crop, the Indian government dropped the import restrictions on peas through March 31, 2024. | Reuters photo

Will India open a second window for duty-free pea imports?

SASKATOON — The Indian government might have to consider opening a second window for duty-free yellow pea imports, according to a senior industry official from that country. “Maybe in the back end of the season,” Manek Gupta, managing director of Viterra India PVT Ltd., said during a recent webinar hosted by the India Pulses and […] Read more

There is currently an annual quota of 150,000 tonnes on pea imports and they can only be brought in through the Port of Kolkata. Vivek Agrawal, a broker with JLV Agro, thinks the government could relax those restrictions, providing increased import quotas to millers. | File photo

Will India drop pea import restrictions this year?

SASKATOON — Analysts disagree on whether this will be the year that India drops its yellow pea import restrictions. There are some early-season concerns for India’s chickpea and lentil crops. “The acreage will be the same (as last year) but the production will be less because things are not good in India on the climate […] Read more


Close-up of ripe chickpeas hanging on a plant.

Persistent crop estimate discrepancies lead to uncertainty

Sask. crop insurance acreage data is substantially different from Statistics Canada’s numbers for many small-acre crops

Pulse and special crops growers and traders should get used to significant discrepancies between federal and provincial agencies when it comes to gauging the size of the Canadian crop, says an analyst. The bulk of those crops are grown in Saskatchewan where the provincial government often seems at odds with Statistics Canada. “It’s going to […] Read more

India's Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) recently sent a letter to India's minister of commerce and industry, Shri Piyush Goyal, urging him to ban the import of lentils from Canada. | File photo

Pulse sector unfazed as lentil ban demanded in India

Pulse Canada remains “hopeful and optimistic” about lentil trade with India despite political tension between the two countries. India’s Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) recently sent a letter to India’s minister of commerce and industry, Shri Piyush Goyal, urging him to ban the import of lentils from Canada. The letter was sent in response […] Read more


Close-up of ripe chickpeas hanging on a plant.

Persistent crop estimate discrepancies lead to uncertainty

Sask. crop insurance acreage data is substantially different from Statistics Canada's numbers for many small-acre crops

Pulse and special crops growers and traders should get used to significant discrepancies between federal and provincial agencies when it comes to gauging the size of the Canadian crop, says an analyst. The bulk of those crops are grown in Saskatchewan where the provincial government often seems at odds with Statistics Canada. “It’s going to […] Read more

India represents a significant market for Canadian agricultural exports. About half of the country’s lentil imports come from Saskatchewan. Total value of Saskatchewan exports to India last year was $1.4 billion. But India has also at times implemented trade barriers that block those lentils. | File photo

Agriculture waits to see if political spat with India affects it

Half of India’s lentil imports come from Sask., and the province’s exports to the country were worth $1.4 billion last year

The agriculture sector should be on alert as relations between Canada and India deteriorate, a report warned last week. StrategyCorp, a management consulting and government relations firm, issued a geopolitical advisory Sept. 22 after prime minister Justin Trudeau said Sept. 18 he had credible information that the Indian government was potentially involved in killing a […] Read more

Peas and other pulses are expected to gain ground on soybeans in the plant-based meat category in the next decade.  |  File photo

Study expects plant-based meat growth

The future for plant-based protein is bright despite recent setbacks, according to a new Ernst & Young study. Demand for the product is expected to be strong in the wake of a global pandemic that led to an economic slowdown in 2022. Ernst & Young is forecasting US$139.4 billion in global plant-based meat sales by […] Read more


Sherrilyn Phelps, director of research and development at SPG, described the projects as pre-breeding research. “They’re developing tools and knowledge and traits that can then get incorporated into new varieties,” she said. “So the ultimate benefit for growers in the end is development of varieties that are more suited to our conditions.” | File photo

Genomics research seeks to build more resilient pulse crops

New funding will be used to develop new tools, knowledge and traits that can then get incorporated into new varieties

The quest to breed better root resistance in peas is the focus of a genomics research project announced last week by Saskatchewan Pulse Growers. The organization announced it will also fund a genomics project designed to find tools to breed better lentil varieties. Both projects are co-funded through Genome Canada’s Climate-Smart Agriculture and Food Systems […] Read more

Sales for the meat alternatives amounted to 19.8 million kilograms for the 52 weeks ending July 2, 2023, according to a CoBank report, which used data provided by Circana. That is down 21 percent from the previous year and well off the 2021 high of 26.8 million kilograms. | Reuters photo

Pulse sector not worried about plant-based meat slump

Sales continue to fall, but the pulse industry says plant-based meat sector makes up a small part of pea protein market

Plant-based meat sales continue to slump in the United States, according to a new report. Sales for the meat alternatives amounted to 19.8 million kilograms for the 52 weeks ending July 2, 2023, according to a CoBank report, which used data provided by Circana. That is down 21 percent from the previous year and well […] Read more