Sask. premier asks for federal help as India announces pea tariffs

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe is asking for federal help as India announces tariffs on yellow peas.

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe is calling on the federal government to negotiate with India after the country announced Thursday it would be imposing 30 per cent tariffs on yellow pea imports.

Moe shared a letter his government sent to the federal ministers of agriculture and international trade on social media, calling the tariff announcement “very concerning.”

In the letter, Moe expressed the need for Saskatchewan’s producers and exporters to have certainty, as the province continues to deal with 100 per cent tariffs from China on Canadian canola and other products.

“Together, the Indian and Chinese markets comprise 71 per cent of our pea exports in 2024. As such, it also remains an urgent priority for Canada to resolve trade issues with China,” the letter read, highlighting that $480 million of Saskatchewan’s pea exports were shipped to India in 2024.

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According to the premier, an official with Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Trade and Export Development will be in India next week, starting November 3.

“Saskatchewan’s trade office on the ground has also been building relationships and is at the ready to assist wherever possible to work towards a resolution on this matter,” the letter read.

Saskatchewan NDP Leader Carla Beck provided a statement on Thursday, calling India’s tariff announcement a, “gut punch to producers who are still reeling from Chinese and American tariffs.”

She called on the province to take action to make sure the tariffs don’t come into effect and pointed out that both the provincial and federal government have trade offices in India.

“We are an export-based province,” her statement read. “We cannot have a bright future and a strong economy if we can’t get our products to market.