AFA Discusses Canola Market Access with Minister of International Trade Diversification

The Alberta Federation of Agriculture was pleased to join with Alberta Canola, and other members of Canada’s canola value chain, to meet with the Honourable Jim Carr, Minister of International Trade Diversification, to discuss the issue of market access for canola seed into China.

“We were very happy to be at the table and afforded the opportunity to meet with Minister Carr and other colleagues within the industry to discuss this critical issue,” said Humphrey Banack, director of AFA.  “It’s no secret that China represents a huge piece of our canola export market, so it’s good to see our government working quickly to resolve the issue as soon as possible.”

Challenges persist for canola producers in Alberta, and across the country, as China continues it’s ban on Canadian canola seed.  With China representing 40 percent of canola exports, farmers now look to make difficult seeding decisions for the current growing season amongst growing uncertainty.

Minister Carr spoke of a three pronged approach the government is using to tackle this issue including: engagement both with Canadian industry and our Chinese customers to arrive at a viable solution for both parties, support for producers with a plan to help bridge the financial shortfall until a resolution is found, and a move to diversify markets to ensure our reliance on a single market is not so detrimental to producers should similar market disruptions occur in the future.

“Minister Carr assured us that the government is keenly aware of the challenges this situation poses for producers,” noted Banack.  “This market disruption serves as a reminder that any market for our agricultural products is never truly safe from the threat of a closure.”

AFA continues to monitor this situation and uphold our commitment to providing a strong voice for Alberta’s farmers.