Pulse industry receives $11 million injection from Ottawa

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 10/02/2024 (694 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

MANITOBA research received a financial boost Friday as Ottawa announced $11 million nationally for the pulses industry.

Experts anticipate growing global demand for plant protein — dry peas, lentils, beans and chickpeas — will remain a financial boon for Canada.

The money will fund research on greening pulse production, such as reducing fertilizer applications, and developing new crop varieties, among other things.

Pulse Canada, through partner organizations such as the Manitoba Pulse & Soybean Growers, is contributing another $10 million to the research.

Pulse Canada is also recipient of the new government money.

“(This will) help support pulse farmers for the development of new varieties that meet changing market expectations,” said James House, a food and human nutrition professor at the University of Manitoba.

The funding will allow the University of Manitoba to continue collaborating with the University of Saskatchewan on yellow pea research.

House has been examining how genetic, economic and environmental factors influence the pea crops.

“This has important implications for the market in terms of positioning high quality protein, pulse-based foods to the marketplace,” he stated.

The funding will allow for training of the next generation of pulse researchers, House said.

The money isn’t divided per province; instead, it’s split by project and benefits the country as a whole, Pulse Canada staff relayed.

The findings are to be published in peer-reviewed journals.

In 2022, Canada’s pulse farm exports topped $4 billion, MP Ben Carr said during a news conference. Canada is the world’s largest pulse exporter.

“We know that the future is bright for Canada’s pulse industry as the global demand for sustainable food continues to grow,” Carr said Friday.

Protein Industries Canada has a goal of scaling Canada’s plant-based protein sector to a $25-billion industry.

In Manitoba, Roquette operates a $600-million pea processing facility that has largely stabilized pea farming in the province, the Manitoba Pulse & Soybean Growers told the Free Press earlier in February.

The Smart Prosperity Institute, a University of Ottawa-based think tank, released three reports Tuesday highlighting problems with labour shortages and skills gaps in the industry.

Such issues will hinder the industry until addressed, the think tank asserted.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com