Saskatchewan trade mission to India an ‘important milestone,’ Moe says

Premier Scott Moe says his India trade mission resulted in wins for key sectors, but some priorities are still pending. Donovan Maess reports.

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe spoke to reporters for the first time since returning from a trade mission to India, calling it an “important milestone” for the province’s relationship with the world’s most populous nation.

“This mission made significant headway for Saskatchewan and several Indian organizations, post-secondary institutions, and government programs, all of which will bring more opportunities for both jurisdictions,” the premier noted.

“India is an important partner for this province, and this mission, with the help of our trade and investment office in India, has helped us grow this relationship for the benefit of all those who live and work in Saskatchewan.”

The highlight of the trip was the signing of a nine-year, $2.6-billion uranium agreement between Cameco and India’s Department of Atomic Energy.

The province also signed several memorandums of understanding covering areas such as uranium, carbon capture and storage, post-secondary education and the development of joint agri-food technologies.

They specifically include:

• PTRC and the IIT Bombay National Centre of Excellence in CCUS on a partnership for CCUS research and collaboration.
• The Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC) and Midwest Energy Private Limited collaboration on nuclear microreactor technologies.
• SRC and Nonferrous Materials Technologies Development Centre on collaboration in rare earth processing technologies.
• University of Saskatchewan and the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics joint work on research collaboration.
• University of Saskatchewan and the National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management - Kundli collaboration on agri-food technology and innovations.
• University of Saskatchewan and the National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management - Thanjavur collaboration on agri-food technology and innovations.
• Saskatchewan Polytechnic, Cambridge International School, Atria University, and Axia International collaboration for post-secondary education.

The trade mission ran from Feb. 28 to March 6.

Key tariffs keep stranglehold on crops

Despite the mission being seen as a success, one key area remained untouched as the trip came to a close.

Indian tariffs on key Saskatchewan crops like peas and lentils continue to be in place.

“Our ask was obviously to remove them,” the premier said. “There is some domestic challenges India has with that, so they won’t be removed immediately.”

India has a 30 per cent levy on Canadian peas and 10 per cent on lentils.

Moe is hopeful the removal of the tariffs will be a part of a broader national deal between Ottawa and New Delhi expected later this year. However, that’s too late for Opposition Leader Carla Beck.

“This is having a huge impact for people in this province,” she told reporters Monday. “This is going to have a huge impact on the bottom line of some producers who are already going into this year with a lot of worry.”

“The fall is too late. I’d like to see it sooner. Perhaps the premier and the prime minister can get together and hit it with with more urgency.”

Even with the delay, the premier says removing the tariffs remains a high priority.

“Our hope we get [India], first of all, to have them removed in the near term in the next number of months. Second of all, is to have some certainty moving forward,” Moe reiterated.