THE CHAIRMAN of Pulse Australia, Ron Storey, said the global pulse industry is filled with optimism for the long-term future of the sector.
Arriving back from the Pulses 2017 event in Vancouver, Canada, Mr Storey said those in attendance, involved in the industry right across the globe, felt there had been a quantum shift in pulse supply and demand patterns.
“In the long term, up to 2025 and beyond, the outlook is very positive,” Mr Storey said.
“It is a consumer story and about changing behaviours, there is a transformation taking place in the way we think about food and a new focus on health, nutrition, affordability, sustainability, provenance and environment,” he said.
“These themes play in perfectly into the pulse story, they meet the criteria for food change, they taste good, they have nutritional benefits, health benefits and are affordable.”
Mr Storey said the industry was working to consolidate on the success of the International Year of the Pulse in 2016 through initiatives such as the ‘half day habit’, a campaign to get consumers to include half a cup a day of pulses in their diet in some format.
Mr Storey said along with the booming human consumption market there was also growth in the animal feed component of the pulse industry.
“There is growth in animal and pet food requirements for plant protein and other industrial and food ingredient uses of pulse fractions.”
“Overall, the sense is that we are at the start of a longer term global trend and change in consumer habits, it’s an exciting prospect for pulses.”
Mr Storey said he expected there to be volatility in the sector in the short-term as the market came to terms with the likelihood of increased supplies from the sub-continent, but said in the long term, there was good grounds for buoyancy.
“Notwithstanding the normal seasonal variability, the underlying long term structure of pulse markets looks strong,” he said.