Photo: CPAC Screen Shot of Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe Speaking to reporters in India 2026
By Carol Baldwin
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Wakaw Recorder
Although tariffs on pulse crops remain in place, the trade mission Premier Moe is on with Prime Minister Carney in India has realized one potentially positive result for the agriculture industry in Saskatchewan.
Premier Scott Moe, along with officials from Canada, India, and the University of Saskatchewan, is exploring the establishment of the Canada-India Pulse Protein Centre of Excellence at NIFTEM in Kundli, India. This center will focus on food innovation, specifically advancing pulse protein processing and developing fortified foods, while strengthening partnerships. According to Mintel’s Global New Products Database (GNPD), there were 5,440 new pulse products launched in India from January 2018 to December 2023. Of these 5,440 new products, 5,134 were food products. (https://agriculture.canada.ca/en/international-trade/market-intelligence/reports-and-guides/sector-trend-analysis-pulse-trends-india)
“Our province is essential for global food security,” Moe said. “This announcement represents an opportunity to bring Saskatchewan’s expertise and ingenuity in pulse production to the people of India. By working together, we will accelerate innovation, expand processing capabilities, and help meet growing demand for affordable, high-quality, sustainably grown foods.”
Pulses, which include lentils, chickpeas, peas, and beans, are central to both Saskatchewan and India’s agri-food sectors, being both healthy and high in protein. According to Agriculture Canada, as of 2023, 91.2 percent of the lentils exported from Canada to India were grown in Saskatchewan, providing food for hundreds of millions of people every day. Rising incomes and population growth make the pulse market in India a significant one to tap into.
Saskatchewan’s top 10 agri-food export destinations and their value in 2025, according to the Government of Saskatchewan’s Trade Statistics, under the umbrella of Business and Industry Agriculture Sector Overview, are: United States: $4.9 billion, China: $2.3 billion, Japan: $1.2 billion, Mexico: $902 million, Algeria: $674 million, Morocco: $489 million, Bangladesh: $481 million, Italy: $480 million, United Arab Emirates: $459 million, India: $447 million
The 2025 Provincial Auditors report shows that Saskatchewan’s total export value surpassed $45 billion in 2024. Since 2020, the Ministry of Trade and Export Development has established nine offices worldwide to attract foreign investment and promote trade, contributing to Saskatchewan’s economic growth. In 2010, the Shanghai, China office was first to open. Then in 2021-22, the government opened offices in Singapore, New Delhi, India, Tokyo, Japan, Mexico City, Mexico, Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), London, U.K., and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
In a Performance Audit of Trade and Export Development by the Provincial Auditor, the Auditor found that the Ministry of Trade and Export Development needs to “strengthen how it evaluates trade office achievements.” Established to attract foreign direct investment and promote trade efforts to grow Saskatchewan’s exports and economy, the Auditor reasoned that monitoring these international trade and investment offices helps Saskatchewan residents understand their economic impact and ensures they meet growth expectations. Therefore, the Provincial Auditor recommended that the Ministry of Trade and Export Development:
· Establish targets for key performance indicators.
· Measure satisfaction of parties (e.g., foreign companies) who worked with trade offices.
· Document how it evaluates trade offices’ key performance indicators (KPIs) to facilitate consistent measurement.
· Enhance its public reporting of trade office performance. Good practice expects public reporting on the results of achieving key performance indicators that outline targeted and actual results.
The Premier posted on social media that “With $18 billion in exports since 2007, India is a vital partner.” However, total exports to India since the opening of a trade office in New Delhi have hovered around $1.4 billion yearly.
The new deal signed by Cameco to ship $2.6 billion in uranium to India over nine years should change that export total, but the people of Saskatchewan will only know if the trade office facilitated this deal if the Provincial Auditor’s recommendations are followed.