The federal government is providing $7.8 million to the canola industry to fund a market access plan that will address trade barriers.
Canola Council of Canada president JoAnne Buth said the money will be used to tackle the loss of the Chinese market due to concerns about blackleg disease, but it will also be used to get a jump on future barriers to trade.
“Two to three years from now I think we’ll be able to say, ‘we know where the next one is coming from,’ ” she said.
The council is also contributing $1.2 million to the project.
The canola industry contributes $14 billion a year to the Canadian economy. Ninety percent of production is exported.
The first priority is restoring trade with China, a country that consumed 2.9 million tonnes, or 36 percent, of last year’s exports.
“Our trade with China is still blocked,” Buth said.
“Last year, Canada sold $1.3 billion of canola seed to China. We need the Government of Canada’s continued full support to restore this trade.”
However, the market access plan covers more than China. The council will spend the next four years developing country-specific plans for all its key markets. Regulations will be examined, political winds will be sniffed and consumer concerns will be assessed to help predict and prevent future trade disruptions.
Resources will also be devoted to informing Canada’s 50,000 canola growers how to keep their crops export-ready by avoiding certain pesticides and nonregistered varieties.
