The Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan is expressing grave concern about a shutdown of Canadian canola exports to China.
鈥淧roducers are weeks away from planting the 2019 crop, and a trade issue with our largest Canola seed customer is a very disturbing development and creates a lot of economic uncertainty for growers,鈥� said APAS Vice President Ian Boxall, who farms near Tisdale.
鈥淭his isn鈥檛 just an issue for rural Canada or Western Canada,鈥� Boxall explained. 鈥淐anola exports contribute 25 billion dollars to the Canadian economy and hundreds of thousands of jobs. It鈥檚 our number one cash crop, and the future viability of our sector depends on trade access and trade normalcy.鈥�
Boxall noted that trade issues with China are compounding a recent billion-dollar loss in exports from commodities like pulses, and a further reduction in overall farm income is very worrying.
鈥淐anadian producers make a very large contribution to Canada鈥檚 economy, and this is the time for our elected officials to step up and use every possible avenue to resolve these very serious issues.鈥� Boxall concluded. 鈥淎nd it highlights the need for better business risk management programs to ensure producer viability and protect the economy.鈥�
