Alberta’s Agriculture Minister touts trade mission to India

Touting the mutually beneficial relationship between India and Alberta, the province’s agriculture minister spoke glowingly of his recent seven-day trade mission to that country.

Memorandums of understanding were renewed and expanded with local governments, but there are still challenges ahead.

One concern is India’s push to become self-sufficient when it comes to pulse production.

Tariffs of up to 50 per cent are a sign India is trying to protect its producers, but Agriculture and Forestry Minister Oneil Carlier doesn’t see that happening soon.

“Their population is also rapidly expanding, so I think India is always going to be a really good market for our pulses,” he said.

Having said that, he wasn’t sure how long it would take for those tariffs to come down or disappear.

“If we could get some certainty on at least future decisions by the Indian government when it comes to tariffs that would help a lot, but with the current situation, we’re hoping that will be resolved,” he said.

There also was a focus on Alberta’s role in the pork industry.

A lot of the interest is in technology, but Carlier believed there is a market for the product too.

“Maple Leaf out of Lethbridge is shipping pork products to India, and even though 80 per cent of the population is vegetarian, it’s a large country,” he explained. “20 per cent would be 300-million, and people do eat meat, so I think there are opportunities for fresh pork products as well.”