The head of the Canadian Wheat Board says grain sales are going well, contrary to what the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association said recently.
Chief commissioner Lorne Hehn told Saskatchewan Wheat Pool delegates the crop is half-sold.
“For the wheat growers to say we haven’t been selling isn’t true at all,” Hehn said. “We’re about 50 percent sold on a crop year basis on both milling and durum wheat … a little better on malt barley.”
He said it would have been foolish to sell earlier in the fall because of the global situation. The board took a steady, rather than aggressive, approach, he said.
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The wheat growers recently claimed the board was withholding wheat from the market in anticipation of higher prices and that was contributing to farmers’ cash flow problems. The organization pointed to small contract calls as an indicator.
But Hehn said about 27 percent of the crop has been delivered and more contract calls will be issued within two weeks.
About 26 percent of the crop has been shipped. The board plans to move 45 percent by year end.
“I think we’re going to get very close,” he said. “We’ll probably come in at about 41, 42 percent on board grains.”
Hehn said durum is being marketed more aggressively because the market is extremely tight. This fall the board estimated production at 5.6 million tonnes and world trade at only 6.6 million tones.
Last year the board exported a record 4.2 million tonnes.
“Durum trade will be down 15 percent,” Hehn said.
