Red lentils. (Photo courtesy U.S. Dry Pea and Lentil Council)

India imposes duties on chickpeas, lentils

CNS Canada — India is introducing immediate 30 per cent tariffs on imports of chickpeas and lentils, the country’s government announced Thursday. The import duties follow the 50 per cent tariff on yellow peas India introduced in November, and come as part of ongoing efforts by India to support farmers. “Production of chana (chickpeas) and […] Read more



Pulse levy may be rolled back

Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta Pulse Growers is considering cutting its checkoff to 0.75 per cent from the current rate of one per cent. If approved by its members at its AGM next month, the service fee levied on sales of pulses would go into effect on Aug. 1 (the start of the next crop year). The one per […] Read more

(File photo courtesy Canola Council of Canada)

Canola stocks look less tight in StatsCan report

CNS Canada — Canadian farmers grew a record amount of canola in 2017, despite weather concerns, according to updated production estimates on Wednesday from Statistics Canada. The agency pegged production in 2017-18 at 21.3 million tonnes, up from the September estimate of 19.7 million and last year’s total of 19.6 million. The rise in production […] Read more


Canola south of Ethelton, Sask. on Aug. 3, 2017. (Dave Bedard photo)

Larger crops expected in StatsCan report

CNS Canada — Canada’s canola and wheat production likely ended up larger than earlier expectations, but just how much more remains to be seen, as industry participants await the Statistics Canada production report due out Wednesday. “The finish seemed to be better than what the weather looked like earlier in the year,” said Neil Townsend […] Read more

Pulse samples at a wholesale market in southern India — the nation’s government stunned market watchers by imposing a 50 per cent tariff on peas last month in a bid to boost prices for its farmers.

It’s not pretty but it’s not a disaster yet, says top pulse official

India’s pea tariff has roiled markets, but Gordon Bacon urges farmers to wait and see how things play out

Reading Time: 3 minutes Canada’s top pulse official says predictions that India’s bolt-out-of-the-blue tariff could slash Prairie pea acreage by a third are premature. “Things are changing very rapidly right now,” said Gordon Bacon, CEO of Pulse Canada. “India is under a lot of pressure to do something that both provides some price support to their farmers — but acknowledges […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

Trade expecting bigger canola, wheat numbers from StatsCan

Reuters — Canadian farmers harvested the biggest canola crop on record, slightly larger than was expected in September, a Reuters survey of 15 traders and analysts showed ahead of a key government report. Wheat production is also seen higher than earlier expectations, as favourable weather produced big yields. Statistics Canada will release its final crop […] Read more

Western bumblebee. (Stephen Ausmus photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

U.S. study links bumblebee declines to fungicide use

A new look at the environmental factors around declining bumblebee populations and ranges points to a less-than-usual suspect: fungicides. “Insecticides work; they kill insects. Fungicides have been largely overlooked because they are not targeted for insects, but fungicides may not be quite as benign — toward bumblebees — as we once thought,” Scott McArt, assistant […] Read more