Pulse Mission Building on Success in India

[TOM4CWB]

"Pulse Industry Building on Success in India – Jan 22

The pulse trade in Canada is hailing the discussions and agreement on key trade issues between Canadian Agriculture’s Minister Gerry Ritz and India’s Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar as significant progress to safeguard and expand pulse trade between Canada and India.

“This has been the first mission to India where Ministers have agreed on the action that is needed to ease trade by addressing regulatory barriers impacting trade between our countries. And, at the same time, Canadian and Indian regulatory agencies have recognized the importance of working together to find solutions that reflect the commercial realities of pulse trade” said Gordon Bacon, CEO of the Canadian Special Crop Association and Pulse Canada.

Gordon was part of the delegation that traveled with Minister Ritz to India earlier this month. India is Canada’s largest pea market, and Canada supplies over 50% of India’s pulse imports. “Canadian farmers and Indian consumers will benefit from our goal of reducing costs associated with regulations impacting pulse trade” said Bacon. “We now have a timeline for agreement on action and we have an extension of the interim policy for another six months which gives the trade certainty about the rules that will apply until the end of September 2009.”

Pulse Canada is highly supportive of Minister Ritz’s recognition that the changing retail sector in India represents an opportunity to create new demand. “The Minister’s meeting with Reliance, one of India’s fastest growing Fortune 500 companies, gave us an opportunity to talk to their CEO about opportunities for growth focusing on health and nutrition” said Bacon. During the meeting, Reliance’s CEO Sanjeev Asthana said that a focus on health will attract a niche market of at least 5-10% of India’s population. “India is a price sensitive market, but 10% of the population means a potential market of over 100 million people that would be interested in the connection between health and Canadian pulses” said Bacon. “We can build on the existing pulse market base in India through exploring partnerships with retailers like Reliance.

In addition to the retail sector, India’s largest government procurement agency, State Trading Corporation, expressed interest in exploring the connections with pulse consumption and human health said Bacon.

Under “Growing Forward” governments’ new policy direction for agriculture Pulse Canada hopes to continue this partnership with the Minister’s department. “This mission to India is an example of our strategy in markets around the world: we will build on our success and create new opportunities by focusing on emerging consumer demand and interest in health, nutrition and the environment” said Bacon. -Pulse Canada Media Release "

[haveapulse]

Thanks Tom. The pulse diet is only now beginning to be understood by our dietitions and nutritionalists, and atheletes too, thanks in part to the current studies coming out from Sask. Pulse Growers.

I note that Indians have practiced the diet for years, and indeed have much to teach us in return.

Can you imagine if we in Canada could increase our consumption of peas, lentils and flax in our daily dietary regime what we could do for domestic consumption, and our health.

Increase our markets and our health all at once!

To their credit our Pulse organizations in Canada, are always exploring new opportunities. This is simply another story in the amazing saga of pulse crops which in the last 40 years continue to produce opportunities here and around the world. At this time we expect the next level of development will be with value add industry.


Tom I know you appreciate and understand that lucky for us we have some free commodities to create opportunity with in the west. Pulse crops have not only revolutionized production opportunities the industry has evolved our whole marketing mindset.

Pulses have made a huge contribution to lifting the iron curtain of information created by the CWB (can't tell you anything about where I sell to whom even if it is 50 years later). With pulse crops the cash market creates ae daily discussion of markets. "The world is at my doorstep" dialogue between buyers and sellers has created an open window of ongoing market knowledge.

I do credit pulse processors with their strong link to the world at a grassroots level as doing much to
involve and inform growers about the world, and lift the veil of secrecy long associated with the marketing of CWB grains.

Rather than the secretive world of the CWB we are quite transparent with our growers about our markets for their products. This sharing of knowledge and opening windows of opportunity
in the world is part of the success story which culminates in our Minister of Agriculture travelling to India!

We celebrate 25 year at Sask Pulse this year!


Way to go pulse growers!
Way to go Pulse organizations and Processors!