Saskatchewan Pulse Growers (SPG) is pleased to announce nearly $23 million in funding to support pulse crop breeding at the University of Saskatchewan鈥檚 Crop Development Centre (CDC) for the 2015-16 to 2019-20 time period. This funding will be applied to the third five-year term in SPG鈥檚 15-year pulse crop breeding agreement with the CDC and will support continued work in the areas of pea, lentil, chickpea, dry bean, and faba bean breeding.
鈥淭he availability of continually improving pulse crop varieties from the CDC has fuelled the rapid growth of pulse crop production for Saskatchewan growers over the past 20 years,鈥� said Corey Loessin, Vice Chair of Saskatchewan Pulse Growers. 鈥淥ur investments in support of pulse crop breeding will help to keep Saskatchewan growers positioned among the most competitive in the world.鈥�
Since 1997, SPG has provided significant funding for the pulse breeding program and has the exclusive commercialization rights for CDC pulse crop varieties. SPG and CDC signed the current 15-year pulse crop breeding Agreement in 2005. The funding for the first five-year term of the agreement was $6.2 million. The funding for the second five-year term increased to $9.2 million. Since 1997, more than 110 pulse crop varieties developed by the CDC have been released through SPG鈥檚 variety release program.
鈥淲e believe the CDC pulse breeding program is the most successful in the world,鈥� says Carl Potts, Executive Director with Saskatchewan Pulse Growers. 鈥淐anada now has a dominant share of global trade in lentils and peas. 聽
Our investment in CDC will help to realize our goal of at least one pulse crop for every acre in the Province by realizing further gains in other pulses such as chickpea and faba bean鈥�.
Statistics Canada estimates record pulse crop seeded acre in 2016 at 7.3 million acres. Much of this growth has been driven by a doubling of lentil acres in the Province since 2012.
鈥淭he CDC is pleased to be continuing our partnership with SPG through the next five-year term,鈥� says Kofi Agblor, Managing Director at the CDC. 鈥淭his significant increase in funding from SPG will support plant breeder鈥檚 work on a long-term basis, ensuring they are able to deliver on the agronomic and end-use attributes that are most important to Saskatchewan farmers through innovative plant breeding. The University of Saskatchewan will continue to contribute significant infrastructure and other in-kind resources towards pulse crop breeding, while maintaining royalty-free commercialization of arising varieties to Saskatchewan producers during the term of this agreement. 鈥�
Accountable to and funded by growers, SPG鈥檚 strategic direction is guided by a seven member, grower-elected, Board of Directors. SPG鈥檚 mission is to provide leadership for profitable growth for the Saskatchewan pulse industry.
