India will begin issuing certain categories of visas for Canadian citizens, in a sign of softening of tensions between the two nations over the killing of a Sikh separatist leader, according to Bloomberg.
India will resume issuing visas from Oct. 26 to people of Indian origin and those requiring permits to attend conferences or for business or medical reasons, the Indian High Commission in Ottawa announced on Oct. 25. The decision was taken after a “considered review of the security situation that takes into account some Canadian measures in this regard,” it said in a statement. The Indian High Commission and consulates will also address any emergency situation, according to the statement.
The move comes days after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration forced the North American nation to cut its diplomatic staff in India (GM Oct. 20, p. 28), which External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said was triggered by concerns about interference by Canadian diplomats in his country’s internal affairs. Diplomatic ties between the two countries deteriorated since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused India’s government of helping orchestrate the killing of a Sikh separatist activist on Canadian soil.
New Delhi called the allegation “absurd” and retaliated with several measures, including a suspension of visas for Canadians. India asked Ottawa to reduce its diplomatic presence and make it equal to the number of Indians who have diplomatic immunity in Canada.
In Canada-India trade news, India’s lentil imports from its major supplier Canada are steady, according to a Bloomberg report citing a top government official, allaying concerns that a diplomatic row between the two nations is hurting trade.
The administration hasn’t asked traders to refrain from purchasing the commodity from Canada, as speculated by some traders, Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh said.
“The flows from both Canada and Australia are seamless. We don’t distinguish between the country of origin, but of course we will go by the quality that we receive at ports,” he told reporters on Oct. 26.
However, The Economic Times, citing industry sources it didn’t identify, reported on Oct. 25 that no new contracts were being signed for imports of lentils from Canada as traders were worried that retaliatory tariffs could be imposed.
Lentil imports by India more than doubled from a year earlier to 1.09 million tons between Jan. 1 and Oct. 17, Singh said. Inbound shipments included 601,000 tons from Australia, 463,000 tons from Canada, and 18,000 tons from Russia, he said.
India has been trying to keep domestic food prices under control ahead of polls in five key states next month and the national election in early 2024, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi will seek a third term in office. It has restricted exports of wheat, rice, and sugar, besides cracking down on hoarding and selling farm commodities from state reserves.
The forthcoming election may bode well for all Canadian agriculture-related products, including fertilizer. Canpotex inked a new three-year contract with three Indian companies last year which is good through Dec. 31, 2025 (GM Sept. 30, 2022; Sept. 22, p. 1).