Specialty crops may have been the shining example of how western Canadian farmers have adapted to meet a changing world market, but that reputation is now tarnished, say exporters.
Export sales of specialty crops has been saving many prairie farms, but problems delivering those products have resulted in lost sales and a declining reputation for the world’s largest exporter of pulses.
Members of the Canadian Specialty Crops Association “have decided we have to take action to protect our markets around the world by tackling transportation problems here at home,” said Murad Al-Katib, chief executive officer of SaskCan Pulse of Regina.
Read Also
Agriculture ministers agree to AgriStability changes
federal government proposed several months ago to increase the compensation rate from 80 to 90 per cent and double the maximum payment from $3 million to $6 million
Transportation is limiting exports of 2005’s record lentil crop, said Al-Katib, who is North America’s largest red lentil splitter and exporter.
Labour disruptions at railways and ports, the shortage of containers and ocean-going ships, increased steel prices and Canadian transportation policies are all reducing Canada’s ability to compete worldwide, he said.
CSCA is launching a plan to deal with the problems.
“This will be the main focus of our association for the next three years. We need to solve this if we are to retain the gains we have made in the industry,” said Al-Katib.
The association’s president Steve Foster agrees.
“Status quo will lead to irreparable harm to our industry,” Foster said.
“We will not stand down on this issue. We will work with all levels of government, the railways and ocean container lines to bring solutions to the table. It is time to implement solutions. Just complaining that we have a problem is not enough.
“This is costing us millions of dollars annually and is harming farmers, processors, the whole supply chain here at home,” Foster said.
The CSCA will assess current transportation assets and meet with producer organizations and other exporters to see what efficiencies can be created in Canada, such as improved cycling times for containers and centralized brokerage.
The association also plans to examine Canadian taxes on transportation, the railway revenue cap on grain transportation, more railway running rights and whether containerized grain can be treated the same as bulk grain in labour disruptions.
Al-Katib said the transportation problem has damaged Canada’s reputation to the point that specialty crops from the Prairies are now considered by international buyers as an unreliable supply.
