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Grower input sought on including fenugreek into pulse growers group

Fenugreek growers and processors in Saskatchewan approached the Saskatchewan Pulse Growers (SPG) to include fenugreek under SPG’s mandate.

SPG is a provincial organization that currently promotes and supports opportunities related to the production of lentils, peas, soybeans, chickpeas, fababeans, and dry beans.

Fenugreek is a self-pollinated, small-seeded annual legume that has traditionally been grown as a spice and forage crop. Currently, a processing plant operating in the province allows for diversified value-added production. According to SPG, the inclusion of fenugreek under their mandate would support SPG’s goal to develop new crop options for Saskatchewan growers.

Fenugreek is a self-pollinated, small-seeded annual legume that has traditionally been grown as a spice and forage crop. Photo courtesy of Sandeep Handa.

If fenugreek is incorporated into the SPG mandate, the SPG would also establish and administer a non-refundable levy to invest in the development of the commodity.

Under SPG’s proposed plan for the inclusion of fenugreek to their mandate:

• A levy would be applied to Saskatchewan-produced fenugreek. The levy would be mandatory, non-refundable and collected by SPG.
• Buyers would deduct from each purchase at the first point of sale and then remit to SPG on a monthly basis.
• The levy rate would be consistent with all other commodities under SPG’s mandate.
• The SPG board would continue to operate in the same manner.

The collected levy from fenugreek will be invested back into fenugreek priorities to help advance the industry. This could include:

• Improvements in plant breeding and variety selection;
• Fungicide and herbicide research;
• Improvements in straw management and utilization;
• Improvements in rhizobium; and
• Fertility trials.

Producers have from September 20 to October 31, 2019 to submit their comments on the inclusion of fenugreek under SPG’s mandate.

Once producer feedback from this survey is collected, it will be analyzed by the Agri-Food Council, which will then make a recommendation to the minister of agriculture. The minister will then decide if SPG can hold a fenugreek producer vote regarding the proposed plan.

If the vote by fenugreek producers is passed, the Agri-Food Council will make a final recommendation to the minister on whether to accept SPG’s plan for the inclusion of fenugreek and establishing a levy for fenugreek producers.