Pulse growers in the Assiniboia area are breathing a sigh of relief as the Canadian government has secured a temporary exemption on the fumigation of pulse exports to India. The end of the current exemption expired on March 31, 2017, and had threatened to disrupt trade.
鈥淚ndia requires all imports of grains to be fumigated at the port of export before being shipped to India,鈥� said Dale Rezula, pulse specialist for Saskatchewan Agriculture. Since 2004 Canada has re-applied and been granted exemptions on this mandatory fumigation of imported crops that allows for shipments of Canadian pulses to be fumigated upon arrival in India instead of in Canada prior to export.
But after some intense negotiations that included the Saskatchewan Agriculture Ministry, India gave a provisional extension for three months effective April 1 until Friday, June 30, 2017. This means that Canadian pulse exports leaving Canada on or before this date, will not require fumigation prior to arrival in India.
There are also issues at the level of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency that complicate a resolution. India requires fumigating with methyl bromide, but this chemical has been removed from use in Canada because of concerns that it damages the ozone layer. The CFIA issues phytosanitary certificates that certifies a crop is free of organisms. While India would accept this certificate, there are too few inspectors at the CFIA to inspect and issue certificates for the volumes of crops being exported.
Pulse Canada has indicated that it is continuing to work with the Canadian government for a long-term solution and continued market access to one of Saskatchewan鈥檚 key export markets for pulses.
