There's some good news for Canada's pulse sector as industry representatives gather this week in Winnipeg for the Annual Pulse and Special Crops Convention.
India announced late last week that it would once again extend the timeline for duty-free imports of yellow peas until December 31st, 2024.
India originally lifted the duties on pea imports on a temporary basis in December of 2023 and has continued to issue temporary extensions since then, while the import duty exemption on lentils is in place through March 31, 2025.
Canada's pulse sector continues to advocate for consistent and predictable trade policies.
Information on the Pulse Canada website notes that "Canada's pulse trade suggests that it can take between 60-65 days to get product from Canada to India. While the window is narrow, Canadian farmers and exporters can deliver prior to December 31, 2024."
The Canadian pulse industry believes that trade of agricultural goods must be prioritized despite geopolitical volatility. The seamless movement of agriculture and agri-food products is central to ensuring food security worldwide and it is the expectation of Canadian pulse growers, processors and exporters that governments will separate geopolitical tension from agri-food trade during adverse situations to maintain food supply resilience. It is our belief that decoupling the pulse trade from this diplomatic tension is in the best interest of the pulse industry and consumers in Canada and India.
All indications from both the government of India and the government of Canada suggest that these are shared values and that the trade of staple food products will continue.
They note that to date, there’s been no disruption to the movement of lentils from Canada to India. Trade data confirms the pace and volume of exports in August, September and October exceed that of last year and overall are ahead of the five-year average.
More information can be found on the situation can be found on the Pulse Canada website.