Bringing global markets to Manitoba Ag Days

Exploring new global markets is becoming increasingly important in agriculture and that’s what the Agri-Marketing Centre at Manitoba Ag Days is all about. Located in Salon A on Main Street at the Keystone Centre, the Agri-Marketing Centre is a semi-private business venue where Manitoba Ag Days exhibitors, manufacturers and other agri-industry professionals can meet with

Commodity Groups Want A Trade Deal With South Korea

Commodity groups and processors are urging the federal government to get cracking on a free trade agreement with South Korea to ensure Canadian exports are not displaced by competitors. Trade talks between Canada and South Korea have been stalled since 2008. South Korea is a valuable market for Canadian grains and oilseeds, said Jim Everson,


Commodities Traders Face Trial Over Bribery Charges

BRUSSELS/REUTERS The court case has begun against a subsidiary of the world s largest diversified commodities trader after it was charged with corruption for providing lavish gifts to an EU official in exchange for information. The case against the Glencore subsidiary and other companies follows a seven-year investigation into whether an official with the European

More Transparency Needed From China

geneva/reuters China must make its farm sector more transparent and fairer to foreign competition, the United States told the World Trade Organization s agriculture committee Sept. 29, as it reviewed China s first decade in the world trade body. Despite years of U.S. complaints, China still charged 13 per cent value-added tax on imported wheat,


Canadian-EU Beef Exports Become More Economic

Canadian beef may soon have easier access to European Union (EU) markets, thanks to upcoming revisions to the production and processing protocol that governs Europe s imports of Canadian beef. These changes would be very significant, says Mark Klassen, director of technical services for the Canadian Cattlemen s Association, who has been working with industry

Forage Exports Through Churchill Studied

Anew study currently underway into exporting Manitoba forage crops through the Port of Churchill may find sales opportunities somewhat mixed. New overseas markets do exist for locally grown forages. And shipping through Hudson Bay is shorter and cheaper than via Vancouver or the St. Lawrence. But, as always, Churchill has limits as an ocean port


CAFTA Supports Canada-EU Trade Talks

The Canadian Agricultural Trade Alliance has come out in favour of ongoing talks towards a comprehensive trade agreement between Canada and the European Union. Stan Eby, president of CAFTA, said Canada is too reliant on the U. S. for exporting agricultural products, which is why it is critical for the European market to open. Canada

WTO Members Behind In Their Books

Most members of the World Trade Organization are years behind in providing data about farm subsidies, essential to see whether they are sticking to agreements, an internal WTO document shows. The document, prepared by the WTO secretariat for a meeting on Wednesday of its agriculture committee, which monitors adherence to agreements, shows that 81 of


Obama Criticized For Mexico, Brazil Sanctions

U. S. Republicans and business groups criticized President Barack Obama’s administration March 11 for failing to resolve a cross-border trucking dispute nearly one year after Mexico slapped retaliatory duties on about $2.4 billion worth of U. S. exports. “Record numbers of Americans are receiving an unemployment cheque instead of a paycheque. We need to make

Expect More U. S.-China Farm Trade Tension

Chinese farm exports are set to become a greater source of trade tension as China boosts its production and becomes a bigger player in world markets for labor-intensive crops, a U. S. agricultural economist said Feb. 19. Importers around the globe have already launched more than 30 farm trade cases against China in recent years,