Farm groups urge federal government to create export sales reporting program
Saskatchewan farm groups are calling on the federal government to establish an export sales reporting program to give Canadian farmers timely access to sales and export data.
The Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS) and SaskCrops—which includes SaskBarley, SaskOats, SaskOilseeds, Saskatchewan Pulse Growers and Sask Wheat—say Canadian farmers currently face an information disadvantage compared with producers in regions such as the U.S. and European Union, which have more robust reporting systems.
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“Our organizations, representing 24,000 Saskatchewan farmers, commissioned an independent study by Mercantile Consulting to show how greater access to export sales data could help farmers make better decisions, influence market dynamics and pricing, and improve the competitiveness of Canadian grain farmers,” said Jake Leguee, chair of Sask Wheat’s board of directors.
The study suggests closing the information gap could generate up to $56.6 million in annual returns for Canadian grain farmers. Improved data transparency could enhance demand forecasting, operational planning and logistical efficiency for grain companies, processors and transportation providers, making Canada’s grain supply chain more resilient and reliable for trading partners.
“The benefits of an export sales reporting program would extend across the entire grain supply chain,” said Bill Prybylski, president of APAS. “The data could support better planning and resource allocation, improving responsiveness and productivity from producers to exporters, transporters and grain handlers.”
The groups are asking the federal government to reverse the information disadvantage faced by Canadian producers. Export sales reporting would track large and cumulative sales to individual destinations for major grains, providing the foundation for Canada’s agriculture sector to respond to changing global markets.
“As Canada works to grow and diversify its export markets, it’s important to invest not only in physical infrastructure but also in information and data systems for the agriculture sector to reach its full potential,” Leguee said.