(Reuters) — Colombia has eased import requirements for Canadian wheat, Canada’s agriculture and trade ministers said on Tuesday, eliminating a disadvantage the country previously had versus U.S. and Argentine shippers.
Colombia’s changes to phytosanitary requirements, criteria that relate to pests and pathogens, mean that Canadian shipments will be scrutinized the same way as exports from other countries for weed seed content and the fungi ergot, said Cam Dahl, president of industry group Cereals Canada.
The previous requirements had resulted in vessels carrying Canadian wheat being delayed in Colombian ports, Dahl said in an email. A November trip by Canadian exporters and government officials, including members of the Canadian Grain Commission, to meet with the Colombian government led to the change, he said.
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Colombia is Canada’s seventh-largest wheat market, and the value of exports to the South American country more than doubled in 2014 to $348 million from levels in 2010, before implementation of a Canada-Colombia free-trade agreement.
The changes improve access for wheat grown in Western Canada and include new market access for Eastern Canadian wheat, agriculture minister Gerry Ritz and Trade Minister Ed Fast said in a statement.
