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By Alice McFarlane

Cereals Canada embarks on trade missions

New Crop Trade and Technical Mission Reaches Customers in 15 Countries

Feb 2, 2023 | 12:00 PM

MELFORT, Sask. – After a two-year break, Cereals Canada has resumed its annual New Wheat Crop Trade and Technical Missions.

In December and January, four delegations made up of trade and technical experts, representatives from the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC), grain farmers, and exporters travelled to 15 countries.

Cereals Canada chief executive Dean Dias said farmers and exporters talked to global customers of Canadian wheat.

“People were happy to welcome us back and have the opportunity to ask questions face to face,” Dias said. “Over the past two years, our team has done an excellent job presenting the information to our customers in an online-only format but one of our great strengths is building relationships.”

Dias said Canadian agriculture supplies consistent, sustainable, high-quality cereals to help support food security at home and around the globe.

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“It felt good to return to be meeting with customers in-person to communicate this message, along with the excellent quality and functionality of this year’s Canadian wheat crop,” he said.

The delegations visited key markets for Canadian wheat, including Asia, Latin America, Europe, Africa, and the Gulf Region to share technical information with buyers, millers, bakers, and processors.

Cereals Canada vice president of technical services Elaine Sopiwnyk said they repeatedly heard from customers about their satisfaction with this year’s crop.

“We had many comments about the large supply, overall quality, and good gluten functionality and, for durum, the high semolina yield, yellowness, and good processibility,” Sopiwnyk said.

In 2021, Canadian wheat production was reduced due to drought conditions across the prairies. Canada returned to above-average production in 2022 with 34.7 million tonnes of wheat produced. That was an increase of 55 per cent from the previous year.

Last year’s drought also impacted the protein content of the wheat, which was higher than average. The 2022 crop saw a return to more typical protein content and protein quality across all wheat classes.

Sopiwnyk said it was welcome news for millers and bakers who require consistent quality from year-to-year.

“Customers work with different qualities and protein levels when using and blending wheats from around the world,” Sopiwnyk said. “Having an expected, consistent level of protein is important to our customers to meet their end-product requirements.”

In addition to questions about quality and performance, the delegates fielded questions about transportation, sustainability, and food security.

Alberta farmer Jason Lenz participated in missions to Nigeria, Singapore, and UAE trade and technical mission. He said the customers he spoke to wanted to know about the resiliency of the future supply coming from Canada.

The 2022 New Crop Report is prepared and presented in partnership with the CGC, value chain members, and provincial grower commissions.

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alice.mcfarlane@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @farmnewsNOW