Canadian yellow peas hit with India’s new 30 per cent tariff on all imports

OTTAWA — Canadian yellow pea producers will now face tariffs in both of their major export markets after India announced a new 30 per cent levy on all imported yellow peas beginning Nov. 1.

China imposed a 100 per cent tariff on Canadian yellow peas in March. It was seen as an act of retaliation for Canada’s introduction of tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles.

In a letter to federal ministers of agriculture and international trade Thursday, Saskatchewan’s Agriculture Minister Daryl Harrison said Ottawa needs to immediately negotiate with India.

“These trade disruptions impact the entire supply chain and are having immediate consequences for producers, business and jobs,” wrote Harrison. “We need to get back to tariff-free trade.”

The Canadian Press has reached out to the federal ministers but has not yet received a response.

Greg Cherewyk is the president of Pulse Canada, the national association representing growers and processors of peas, beans, and lentils.

He said he saw the tariff coming but didn’t expect it to land so soon.

“We had been hearing about the potential for a tariff since the early part of September, which is not unusual in India,” said Cherewyk.

Cherewyk said that, unlike China’s retaliatory tariffs, this tariff is aimed solely at India’s domestic interests.

The tariff statement from India says it is being imposed to curb cheaper imports of yellow peas to support domestic farmers.

Cherewyk said the tariff has major implications for pea farmers across Canada.

“We’ve already seen yellow pea prices drop by 43 per cent [from February 2025 to the end of September 2025], so it’s incredibly significant in terms of value on the farm,” he said.

Cherewyk also said that losing access to those lucrative markets in India and China removes an outlet for millions of tonnes of peas.

He said that while processing capacity for peas has been expanding in Canada, allowing growers to sell their crops to the pet food and livestock feed industries, those markets can’t replace India and China.

“It’s important to note we’re working, it’s incremental, the growth is there, but it isn’t going to replace those markets overnight and it should never be looked at as an either-or,” he said.

Harrison said India and China accounted for 71 per cent of Canadian pea exports and Saskatchewan alone exported $480 million worth of peas to India in 2024.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 30, 2025.