Organizations representing Saskatchewan farmers want more detailed and timely information about grain sales, similar to the United States and European Union.
In late October, the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS) and Sask Crops - consisting of SaskBarley, SaskOats, Sask Wheat and Saskatchewan Pulse Growers - asked the federal government to introduce an Export Sales reporting program.
"We like to think that we live in a free market society, but the asymmetrical nature of grain marketing is such that farmers and the industry at large don't have access to the same type and amount of data that some of our international competitors have. It puts us at a competitive disadvantage, both from an on-farm perspective of actually making informed and timely decisions." said Jeremy Welter, a farmer from the Kerrobert area and an APAS Vice-President.
APAS and SaskCrops have been working on this file for years, including commissioning a study by Marlene Boersch with Mercantile Consulting.
"Are we trying to maximize exports and maximize overall GDP returns to the participants? Then very clearly in today's world, improved and additional data will give us responsiveness, it will give us the ability to make smarter and more timely marketing decisions, and it will also influence how we choose the production of the next crop." said Boersch.
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