Agriculture Minister David Marit. (submitted photo/Ministry of Agriculture)

By Alice McFarlane

Saskatchewan Trade Mision

Trade mission to promote Saskatchewan crops

Feb 5, 2020 | 4:34 PM

Saskatchewan’s agriculture minister will lead a delegation to United Arab Emirates, Bangladesh and India making a pitch for Saskatchewan agricultural products.

David Marit will be accompanied by representatives from the Saskatchewan Trade and Export Partnership, Global Institute for Food Security and the University of Saskatchewan.

Marit said the trip will build existing relationships and also look for new markets and opportunities for Saskatchewan crops.

“We’re going to United Arab Emirates and we will be stopping at Dubai for a couple days. Then we’re off to Bangladesh and then we finish in India where I will be speaking at a pulse conference. It’s a nine-day mission that we hope will improve some trade relations,” he said.

The three countries purchase Saskatchewan canola and pulse crops as well as some spring wheat.

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Marit said the delegation will also meet with leaders of the largest canola crushing company in the United Arab Emirates where they hope to increase sales.

“It’s important to touch base with these companies and relay to them just how important they are to us and thank them for doing business with us as well,” he said. “It’s important for us to build relationships and ask them to do even more business with companies here in Saskatchewan.”

Marit said it’s also important to stress Saskatchewan grows high quality crops.

“We really want to convey to these countries, all three of them, the safe, reliable, high quality food that we grow here,” he said. “One big thing is the environmentally sustainable way we do it here. Companies are looking for that. Their customers are looking for that. So it’s important for us to show the world just how farmers in Saskatchewan grow the products in an environmentally sustainable manner. It will be a key message I will be giving.”

India has been a significant market for Saskatchewan but the issue of tariffs have changed the nature of the market and the prices farmers receive for their pulse crops. Marit said we have to respect that decision.

“They’re well within their rights to do that. But I think the message that I really want to convey to the companies is farmers here grow high quality, safe, reliable food. Lentils were a big market and we were moving them and prices were pretty solid. Then India put the tariffs on and we saw production drop, obviously the price drops. Farmers can adapt quite easily and they can take those pulse acres and put them into something else. That’s the message for the industry players in India. Farmers here need to know there is a consistent market. Hopefully, we can convey that message in a very respectful manner in order to achieve the goal where we can see some increase in imports into India.”

Marit said speaking at the Pulses Conclave 2020 in India will be an opportunity to share that message.

“There will be 400 to 500 industry leaders from around India there. I’ll tell them how well we grow the pulse crops and they are environmentally sustainable, but also that producers and the industry are looking for some consistency and want to do business with India as well,” he said. “India is the second largest populated country in the world. They need our product. Hopefully, we can build that relationship back to where it was so we can see a consistent supply going into India.”

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alice.mcfarlane@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @AliceMcF