The Manitoba government issued a statement supporting the province’s canola industry in the wake of China’s ban of the crop shipped through Richardson International whose headquarters are in Winnipeg.
“Canola is a key driver of the agriculture industry in this province and in this country, and is Manitoba’s second-largest export product to China,” Growth, Enterprise and Trade Minister Blaine Pedersen said in a release March 8. “We have had discussions as recently as this morning with the federal government to press it on resolving this issue as soon as possible as our farmers are already making decisions for the upcoming crop year. We will continue to push this matter so that our producers are not caught in the crossfire of an international dispute between Canada and China.”
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Manitoba Agriculture Minister Ralph Eichler said China’s actions aren’t science based.
In 2017, exports of canola seed and products generated $1.72 billion for Manitoba’s economy, the release said. About 40 per cent of Manitoba’s farms grow canola, representing about 18 per cent of all canola farms in Canada.
Both ministers have discussed the issue with International Trade Diversification Minister Jim Carr, Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau and their Prairie counterparts.
In addition to discussing the situation directly with Richardson, they will also continue talking to the Canadian Canola Growers Association and Keystone Agricultural Producers, the release said.
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