Sask Pulse Growers Investigate Subsidized US Imports

[melvill]

The Sask Pulse Growers might be the next commodity group to tackle U.S. crop imports. This is a quote from Statpub.com.

"VANCOUVER - Sep 27/05 - SNS -- Current and future increases in pea and lentil production levels in the United States was bound to result in a collision between political interests in the Canadian and U.S. industries. The question was who would blink first.
Perhaps, not surprisingly, Canadians are blinking first. The Saskatchewan Pulse Growers (SPG) says it is launching an investigation into rising imports of U.S. origin peas and lentils by Canada."

Apparently, significant numbers of truckloads of U.S. peas and lentils have been entering Saskatchewan at lower prices than Saskatchewan producers have been willing to sell them to processors.

[grainboy]

I can see this happening with peas going into the elavator system... But lets not upset the apple(or lentil)cart, there have been a lot of producers who have made money in the past shipping lentils down to the US.

[charliep]

What kind of lentils are US farmers bringing North? My understanding is they grow mostly mid size (Richlea).

What is the quality of peas in Saskatchewan? Realizing US pulses are being subsidized (no argument here), a bit of the draw North may be processors attracting supplies to meet their fall sales needs/commitments they have made to buyers. Many of the processors are local value added initiatives so having access to outside sources may contribute to their survival in difficult years like the current one.

A final note is the relationship between North State canola growers and western Canadian ones has been a positive over time with free flow of product accross the border and cooperation in research/market development.

Others thoughts. Same issues apply to US corn.