Pulses and Climate Change

As a key player in pulses trading, we recognise the role pulses play in combating climate change and addressing food insecurity concerns. Food production, food security and climate change are intrinsically linked. Whether in the form of droughts, floods or hurricanes, climate change impacts every level of food production as well as ultimately, the price instability of food and the food security of affected farming communities.

Introducing pulses into farming systems can be key to increasing resilience to climate change. Pulses are climate smart as they simultaneously adapt to climate change and contribute towards mitigating its effects. The inclusion of pulses in crop rotations utilises symbiotic bacteria to fix nitrogen, which is partly transferred to subsequent crops, increasing their yields. In forage pulses/grass mixtures, nitrogen could be transferred from pulse to grass, increasing pasture production.

When included in livestock feed, pulses’ high protein content contributes to increase the food conversion ratio while decreasing methane emissions from ruminants, thus at the same time reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Increasing Consumption of Pulses through Plant Protein Extraction

According to Beans is How, a campaign announced in COP-27, increasing consumption of pulses is a quick and easy way to solve some the world’s most pressing problems related to food security and climate change. To increase the consumption of pulses, we need to increase production and also stimulate demand. To increase consumption of pulses, ‘Beans is How’ is targeting foodservice to get more pulses on dishes in menus globally. Beyond this, Agrocorp’s work in increasing pulse consumption started from late 2020, where we started operations of a plant protein extraction facility in Cut Knife, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Our facility can produce industry leading 60% protein concentrate and the peas used in production are procured directly from local farmers.

We have also recently entered into a joint venture with Megmilk Snow Brand, one of the largest dairy companies in Japan, to further our capabilities downstream in the plant protein extraction business. This joint venture seeks to leverage the strengths of both companies and will see the setting up of a factory in Malaysia to manufacture soy-free plant protein products like pea protein, pea starch and pea fibre.

Pea protein can be used in a variety of plant-based food applications in plant-based beverages, plant-based meats, as well as in plant-based cheese, such as HerbY-Cheese by our downstream brand, HerbYvore.

Plant Protein Extraction Facility, Cut Knife, Saskatchewan

Agrocorp and Megmilk signed a JV agreement to start a plant protein extraction facility in Malaysia