Canadian Pulse Market Faces Numerous Challenges

04-Feb-2026 07:50 PM

Winnipeg. In recent months, the Canadian pulse market has faced numerous challenges and difficulties, resulting in limited price fluctuations and a period of stability at lower levels.

Several trade issues have slowed down pulse exports, while limited domestic consumption in Canada means that pulse production is primarily dependent on exports.

The 2025-26 season saw a bumper crop of pulses in Canada, leading to a significant increase in farmer stocks, but this was not matched by a corresponding increase in domestic and export demand. Producers still hold large stocks of pulses, even though planting is set to begin in April 2026, just two months away.

Both top buyers, China and India, imposed import duties on Canadian peas in 2025. China imposed a 100 percent tariff on Canadian pea imports in March, while India implemented a 30 percent duty on yellow pea imports from Canada and other countries in November.

It is noteworthy that during this period, China continued to import peas from other countries, including Russia. Russia largely displaced Canadian peas in the Chinese market.

As far as India is concerned, the same import duty applies to peas from all countries, so Canada is not at risk of losing its competitive edge there.

Although the high tariffs did not completely halt Canadian pea imports into China, they did cause a significant drop of about two-thirds.

This created a serious problem for Canada at a time when a strong new crop was being harvested and shipments had slowed down. China has now agreed to reduce the import duty on Canadian peas.