The privatization of Canadian pulse processor AGT Food and Ingredients is set to move another step forward as company officials take their plan to Ontario’s Superior Court on Monday. The Feb. 11 court date in Toronto comes after AGT shareholders voted Tuesday at a special shareholders’ meeting in favour of privatization, according to a company […] Read more

AGT privatization gets shareholders’ approval

Pulse weekly outlook: Nothing new in India
Very little has changed for Canadian pulses in terms of exports to India, according to an analyst. Meanwhile, Canadian stocks of dry field peas and lentils are still relatively large, according to Statistics Canada. India in 2017 imposed import duties to protect its domestic pulse industry and is rumoured to be solidifying those duties, according […] Read more

Pulse weekly outlook: Chickpea area to drop back to ‘normal’
Canadian chickpea acres are expected to return to more normal levels in 2019, after a sizeable jump in 2018. However, while prices are off the highs that drove 2018 seeding intentions, they still could have some room to the upside over the next few months. After seeding 442,900 acres of chickpeas in 2018, Canadian farmers […] Read more

Eat plant-based foods more often, new Food Guide says
Health Canada unveiled a new Canada Food Guide today that ends the era of the ‘four food groups,’ no longer refers to serving sizes nor specific amounts of food to eat daily, and replaces the former iconic rainbow with a dinner plate comprised mostly of plant-based foods. This new guide is all about proportion rather […] Read more

Pulse weekly outlook: Lentils, peas get new profile as protein source
Health Canada has unveiled its new food guide, which switches the focus from portion sizes to a balanced diet and includes protein from sources like peas and lentils. For the Canadian pulse crop industry, it’s a narrative they’ve been sharing for years. The new Canada’s Food Guide is “also sort of a realization that there […] Read more

Pulse weekly outlook: Fewer U.S. acres likely due to surplus
CNS Canada — Large crops followed by poor export demand have led to burdensome supplies and cut into pulse prices in the U.S., which should cut into acreage ideas for peas, lentils and chickpeas in 2019, an industry official says. “With the trade issues we’re facing right now, we have quite a surplus,” said Shannon […] Read more

Pulse weekly outlook: Eyes on India as North America’s prices firm
CNS Canada — From where Prairie pulse market analysts sit, India’s politics and current weather situation remain important to watch. India’s national election will be called in the next three to five months. “There’s so many hundreds of thousands of farmers in India and they have political clout,” said Allan Johnston of Johnston Grains at […] Read more

Pulse weekly outlook: 2018 a challenging year
CNS Canada — It’s been a year of challenges for the Canadian pulse industry, as it struggled to survive after its largest customer all but vanished overnight — but the industry has started to grow in new ways. “It was challenging for farmers who saw a real shift in pulse prices, challenging for processors and […] Read more

Report finds more Canadians turning to plant-based proteins
CNS Canada — Canadians are showing more and more interest in reducing meat consumption while increasing purchases of plant-based proteins, according to data from the latest Food Price Report. The report, prepared by the University of Guelph and Dalhousie University, predicted a 1.5 to 3.5 per cent increase overall in the average Canadian food bill […] Read more

AGT’s privatization to proceed
CNS Canada — AGT Food and Ingredients has announced a definitive agreement to take the publicly-traded Saskatchewan pulse and durum processing and export firm private. If all conditions are met, the deal is expected to go through in the first quarter of 2019. The buyer group, including AGT CEO Murad Al-Katib, Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited […] Read more