Canada’s pulse industry meets the needs of over 150 markets around the world. Canadian pulse exporters supply whole, split or milled peas, chickpeas, beans and lentils in a variety of shipment sizes.

Canada has developed a multi-billion dollar pulse and special crops industry. Canadian production of the eight major pulse and special crops (pea, lentil, bean, chickpea, mustard, sunflower, canary seed and buckwheat) increased from about 1,000,000 tonnes in the early 1990s to 5.7 million tonnes in 2010, more than a fivefold increase in 20 years.

In 2010, Canada accounted for 32% of world pea production and 38.5% of world lentil production. With exports expanding rapidly along with production over the last two decades, Canada now accounts for approximately 35% of global pulse trade each year. Canada is a dominant player in world trade in peas and lentils, accounting for 55% and 50%, respectively in 2008 (the most recent year of complete FAO statistics) and a top five exporter of both dry beans and chickpeas. In 2010, Canada exported a record 4.3 million tonnes of pulses worth more than $2.1 billion.

Canada’s pulse industry meets the needs of over 150 markets around the globe. Canadian pulse exporters supply whole, split or milled peas, chickpeas, bean and lentils in a variety of shipment sizes. Over the past 20 years, Canada has emerged as the world’s largest exporter of lentils and peas, and one of the world’s top five exporters of beans.