Saskatchewan has become home to over 1.6 million hectares of one of the hottest pulse crops on the market today. The tiny little pulses known as lentils are heading up one of the biggest growing markets in farming today.

Lentils just love the growing climate in Saskatchewan those long cool nights very little rain and long days are the perfect environment for these super pulses. Not only that but lentils don’t require nitrogen fertilizers, in fact lentils produce more nitrogen than they need so when harvested the excess nitrogen stays in the soil. The leftover nitrogen allows the farmer to reduce the percentage of nitrogen fertilizers for the next round of crops planted in the fields.

It isn’t easy to harvest the lentils however, they are a low growing plant, which means the machinery needs to run pretty close to ground level and that can damage the combines. Not only are they low to the ground lentils are a thick bushy type of plant that is  prone to dampness which is why the growing climate in Saskatchewan is perfect with its little rainfall. Lentil plants need to be kept as dry as possible although researchers are working on ways to modify the lentil plant to keep it safe from the threat of damp.

Over the past 25 years, Saskatchewan’s provincial government has invested heavily in lentil development. They have been busy partnering with farmers, the crop protection industry and seed companies to ensure the steady growth of the lentil industry. One of the ways this is done is by having a levy on the sale of pulse crops. Over the past few years the levy has provided 11.6$ in funds for research and development.

Saskatchewan farmers now export more lentils than any other country in the world. In countries like India where lentils are considered a staple, Canadian lentils are known to be of the highest quality.

There are also intensive efforts to ensure that Canadians are aware of the quality and nutritional value provided by Canadian grown lentils. The market for lentils in Canada is growing every year. With the diversity of population and changing demographics, there is a growing appetite for homegrown commodities and in particular pulses and lentils that are super charged nutritionally but cost effective.

There are numerous ways that lentils can be incorporated into our diets. From adding, a few handfuls into soups and stews to including lentils in baked goods and taking advantage of the superb recipes that have been handed down for centuries in other cultures Canadians are learning to love lentils.

If you are Looking for a Lentil exporter in Canada, call AdasCan Grain at +1 (416) 548-5901

Extracted from: https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/urban-farming/2017/07/10/checking-canadas-pulse-for-lentils-the-new-farm.html