As the calendar creeps towards September, pulse harvest is just beginning to get underway in Western Canada. Fall is also usually a pretty busy selling and shipping season for the export-dependent crops, but as Chuck Penner, with Leftfield Commodity Research, explains, trade uncertainty and less-than-stellar prices are dragging on the busy harvest season.

RealAgriculture field editor Lyndsey Smith caught up with Penner at the Canadian Special Crops Convention this week in Montreal to get an update on stalled chickpea markets, and Turkey’s foray into the chickpea market after instituting minimum support price for its farmers.

Lentils have also been moving into critical markets, including India, but at much-reduced amounts than past years. Canadian lentils can price themselves into that market now, he says, even with the tariffs, but buyers for many markets aren’t actively buying, and farmers aren’t actively selling, each seemingly waiting for the other to blink.

Penner also comments on acreage shifts for each pulse crop type, harvest and crop conditions, and why, even with lost markets or trade volatility, why he can’t see that the federal government would feel compelled to hand out compensation for grain farmers vs. supply-managed farmers.

During the third day of the Canadian Pulse and Special Crops Convention, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Marie-Claude Bibeau announced $1.6 million will be given to Pulse Canada. The money comes from the AgriAssurance Program.

“Our industry is committed to innovation in products and services to increase markets for Canadian pulses, which deliver consistent quality, nutrition and sustainability as core values,” says Gord Bacon, CEO of Pulse Canada. “Our partnership with the Government of Canada will help us continue to highlight the quality attributes of Canadian pulses and ensure that we remain a global leader in the pulse industry.”

The money will be used to generate tools and data that highlight the consistent quality and nutritional density of Canadian pulses, and the environmental benefits of the industry to facilitate sustained demand for their products both here and abroad. Two specific projects will be, one being the harmonized pulse ingredient standards, and the other being the development of data and tools to build awareness about the sustainability benefits of Canadian pulses and cropping systems that include pulses.

“I know how hard our farmers work to grow the world’s best pulses,” says Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food. “With the amazing nutritional and environmental benefits of pulse products, it’s not surprising that they are more and more attractive to consumers. This federal investment will help Pulse Canada promote Canadian pulses in global markets, which will help us reach our target of $75 billion in Canadian agri-food exports by 2025.”

Overall, it will help the organization maintain high-value markets and position Canada as a preferred supplier of pulse products.