Ottawa announces more support for canola

Jun 13, 2019

Export Development Canada is increasing its insurance for canola exporters

By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com

The federal government is taking additional measures to support the canola industry while it faces trade uncertainty with China.

Today, International Trade Diversification Minister Jim Carr, Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau and Carl Burlock, executive vice-president and chief business officer with Export Development Canada (EDC), announced that EDC will provide more credit insurance for grain companies exporting canola.

“EDC is pleased to participate in the government of Canada’s initiatives to provide support for the (canola) sector,” Burlock told reporters. “EDC’s commitment is to make available an additional $150 million in insurance support for Canadian canola exporters.”

By insuring with EDC, exporters can mitigate the risks of shipping abroad and make it easier to access capital from banking partners, Burlock added.

EDC is also assisting with finding new markets for Canadian canola.

The federal government has identified Pakistan and Bangladesh, for example, as two possible canola trading partners.

Diversifying trade markets is important to making sure Canadian products are sought after, Minister Carr said.

“I think it’s good old-fashioned common sense,” he said to reporters. “When you see that 40 per cent of your export in one commodity goes to a particular nation, it makes sense to in the long-term to expand the possibility” of trade with other countries.

Changing consumer habits paired with Canadian canola quality will help the industry in current and new markets, Carr said.

The canola industry appreciates the government's additional support.

But details of the announcement will determine how helpful the insurance will be, said Brian Innes, vice-president of public affairs with the Canola Council of Canada.

"It's unclear at this point how the announcement will help," he told Farms.com. "We'll be looking at the details. We've been talking with EDC about how its services can better help the canola export community. This includes providing better and more cost-effective risk coverage for transactions are not completed."

Video: Air Command Section Control for Pro-Force Spreaders

This patented section control system uses air to divert material on to different areas of the spinner disks for precise 4-section control, for an economical design by eliminating the need for added conveyor belts or movable spreader components. The section control uses the Raven RCM ISOBUS controller and a customer’s field boundary and coverage map to automatically turn off any of the four sections at any time to avoid applying valuable fertilizer in areas where it’s not needed.

This results in fertilizer savings which means more money in your pocket for a maximum Return On Investment. The powerful blower fan sends air through a 4-section manifold while the conveyor automatically speeds up or slows down as sections are turned on or off for consistent and precise fertilizer application.

• The revolutionary patented Air Command section control utilizes a pneumatic system to accurately place fertilizer onto the spinner disks to give you individualized 4-section control of your spread pattern.

• Pinpoint accuracy of four individual sections allows you to operate the system with ease. This robust design with few moving parts offers no gimmicks, just real-world results.

• The new Air Command section control option is available on pull-type models 2250 and 1850 with the new PTO drive system, and on 1450, 1250 and 1050 pull-type models with standard single hydraulics.

• Continue to do it all with the Unverferth pull-type Pro-Force Spreader. Use the Air Command section control for spreading fertilizer and in-seeding applications, while converting to single-section lime or litter application in a matter of minute