National organization strives to maintain relationship with China, India as diplomatic tensions with the two nations rise
REGINA — Canada’s pulse industry is working hard to retain Chinese pea imports, farmers attending the Saskatchewan Pulse Growers annual meeting heard.
The country is an important market for Canadian peas, but that market needs attention in the face of government inattention and competition from Russia, said Pulse Canada vice-president of communications Jeff English.
China granted market access to Russia in 2023. He told the meeting the Russian crop doesn’t compete on quality, but it does on price and entered the market in a major way.
He said the relationship between the governments of Canada and China is “fragmented at best” and with the Liberal government seeking a new leader and a federal election looming, the government’s attention is not necessarily on agriculture.
“We do know that poor political relationships can have an impact on trade, as we’ve seen with other crops, namely canola,” he said.
The industry has responded by enacting a strategy to strengthen industry relationships. This includes diplomatic and technical in-person missions, he said.
Pulse Canada president Greg Cherewyk and board chair Terry Youzwa were both in China earlier this month to hold bilateral meetings.
The organization provides technical resources for companies working with Canadian peas through webinars and research. This includes providing resources in Mandarin.
English said the strategy also focuses on advocating access for other pulse crops in China.“Beyond peas, we do know that there’s great interest in crops such as lentils and fababeans, and that having market access for these crops could be a major boon to the sector,” he said.
The situation in India is similar, as the government-to-government relationship is not strong. However, English noted India returned to the market in 2024 as a major buyer of Canadian peas because of its focus on meeting domestic food requirements.
In December 2023, India removed its exemption on pea imports for the first time in nearly seven years.
English said the move was unexpected, but Canadian farmers met the demand. Since that time and to the end of November, Canada has sent 1.5 million tonnes worth $800 million to India.
That country has also become Canada’s single largest market for lentils after India held off a tariff exemption until March 2025. The pea tariff exemption was extended to the end of February.
Predictable and reliable market access to these two countries is critical for growers making decisions about what to plant. Delegations visited each other last year, and next month Canada will attend the Indian Pulse Conclave, a biannual industry meeting.“The focus has been to keep pulse crops out of the political cross hairs,” English said.
He said in the past government leaders made statements that led to concerns pulses would become a political football. Industry work has kept that from happening, although he said that work is never done.
New opportunities in high-value markets are the focus of market development work. Each crop has a strategy that focuses on growth and value.
This includes lentil food service, which SPG is leading, and uncovering the potential in non traditional high-value markets. These include pet food and feed in the United States.
English said companies are interested in incorporating Canadian pulse crops into feed products to boost health and lower carbon footprints.“This includes feed trials in Southeast Asia, looking at things like shrimp and carp, and it includes things like hogs in the United States and here in Canada,” he said.
For 2025, India’s decision on lentils and peas is expected within the first quarter and will have a major impact on market prices and trade flows.
Also this year, Pulse Canada is leading a number of organizations to develop long-term and implementable solutions to the labour and transportation disruptions that affect the sector.
