Canadian International Grains Institute, Canadian Grain Commission, Cereals Canada, exporters, and producers from Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Ontario will meet with customers of Canadian wheat from Canada as well as in 20 countries to discuss the quality of the new crop, starting this week.
The new crop missions will begin with a session for Canadian millers in Eastern Canada before continuing on to Asia, European Union, Latin America, West Africa, and Middle East/North Africa.
This is the second year that Cigi, CGC, and Cereals Canada have united to present new crop seminars to customers for the benefit of the value chain, from producers to end users.
“Cigi will be there to discuss the quality attributes of the 2015 wheat crop and provide current and potential customers with the data they need for the purchase of Canadian wheat for their end-use requirements,” says Cigi CEO JoAnne Buth.
Cereals Canada, which represents the cereals value chain, will chair the seminars and discuss Canadian supply and demand along with exporters. A producer will also join the missions to present on Canadian wheat farming including factors affecting crop selection, quality control, and sustainable production. CGC will discuss grading factors, quality assurance, and wheat class changes.
“CGC’s grain quality and safety assurance system is among the best in the world,” says Elwin Hermanson, CGC Chief Commissioner. “Quality, safety, and dependability are synonymous with the Canada brand. New crop missions give buyers the confidence to buy Canadian grain because they know Canada’s grain grading system and inspections produce consistent and reliable results.”
Providing technical information and support to customers around the world is paramount on new crop missions, says Cam Dahl, President of Cereals Canada, but the missions are also about more than information flowing to customers. “The seminars also provide customers with a key opportunity to provide input to, and raise concerns with, the entire Canadian value chain represented on these missions. This gives us the opportunity to provide information directly back to Canadian farmers, Canada’s research community, and private crop development companies.”
From mid-November to mid-December the new crop seminars will be held in Japan, South Korea, China, Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, Bangladesh, Malaysia, England, Italy, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Mexico, Algeria, Morocco, Dubai, Ivory Coast, and Ghana. Webinars will also be provided for customers in the U.S., Tunisia, and Venezuela.
“Market intelligence as well as Cigi’s own work have revealed opportunities in West Africa so this year we have added Ivory Coast and Ghana,” says Buth. “Also, because Canada is actually our biggest wheat customer, we are starting off the new crop missions by making presentations to Canadian millers and their customers.”
An intense schedule of seminars is necessary since the Canadian harvest and crop quality assessment is later than most of Canada’s competitors, she says.
This year government and industry sources indicate that Canada Western Red Spring and Canada Western Amber Durum crops have higher protein content and better grade distribution than in 2014 although wet growing and late harvest conditions have contributed to downgrading factors such as mildew and fusarium similar to last year.
