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OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s recent trip to India may have caused a diplomatic row, but he insists it had nothing to do with India’s decision to hike tariffs on chickpeas this week — and he has good reason for saying so.

Canada’s industry group for chickpea growers says the type of chickpea Canada specializes in is in fact exempt from the most recent tariff increase.

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“Ninety-five per cent of the chickpeas grown in Canada are kabuli variety,” said Madeleine Goodwin, head of communications for Pulse Canada. “Agriculture Canada has informed us that kabuli chickpeas are exempt from today’s tariff increase.”

On Saturday, the government’s agriculture department confirmed the kabuli chickpeas are indeed exempt.

Earlier on Friday, Trudeau had called the tariff hike “a domestic choice by India” that affects Australia more than Canada, and said his discussions with India Prime Minister Narendra Modi focused particularly on a dispute over fumigating Canadian exports for pests.