India may guarantee long-term pulse purchases from Canada as tariffs threaten crop plans

India is weighing the option of providing Canada with assured access to its pulse market so that Canadian farmers continue producing the key protein crop, Indian High Commissioner to Canada Dinesh Patnaik said during a visit to Saskatchewan.

The move comes as Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government and India begin to rebuild diplomatic ties, with both countries’ leaders agreeing to resume negotiations for a comprehensive trade agreement.

Canada remains a major global supplier of lentils to India, competing closely with Australia for the top position. It also ranks among the leading exporters of peas, alongside Russia. India recently introduced a 30% import duty on all yellow peas, effective November 1, following pressure from domestic growers.

Patnaik said Ottawa and New Delhi are now exploring options “whether we can have a quota, whether we can have a lesser tariff, whether we can have a different system of how we can make sure that in the long run pulses from Canada go regularly to India,” speaking after his tour of the Agribition farm show on Thursday.

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Growers at the event warned they may abandon pea cultivation in 2026 because of China’s 100% tariff on Canadian peas and India’s new duties. Those two markets, along with the U.S., are the biggest destinations for Canada’s pea exports, and many farmers said the current tariff structure makes the crop financially unviable, prompting them to consider shifting to other crops.

Patnaik said India would always need to have foreign sources of pulse crops for the long run, even if it has years of domestic surplus. India does not want to see Canadian farmers permanently back away from growing the crop, he said. Import restrictions are used to raise domestic prices to help Indian farmers, he said.

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Canada’s agriculture and international affairs ministries did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

India has a long term strategy of becoming self-sufficient in pulse crop production, but many analysts are sceptical it can achieve that goal.

With inputs from agencies