Farm groups ask federal government to create export sales reporting program

Two farm organizations want the federal government to creation of an export sales reporting program so Canadian farmers have timely access to sales and export data.

The Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS) and SaskCrops said Canadian farmers currently operate at a significant information disadvantage.

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Sask Wheat chair Jake Leguee said producers in competing regions, such as the U.S. and Europe, have better reporting and transparency systems.

“Our organizations, representing 24,000 Saskatchewan farmers, initiated an independent study by Mercantile Consulting to illustrate how greater access to export sales data could empower farmers with insights for better decision making, influencing market dynamics, pricing structures and the overall competitiveness of Canadian grain farmers,” Leguee said.

The study suggests that closing the information gap could generate returns of up to $56.6 million each year for Canadian grain farmers. Enhanced data transparency would improve demand forecasting, operational planning and logistical efficiency for grain companies, processors and transportation providers, making Canada’s grain supply chain more resilient and making Canada a more reliable trading partner.

APAS president Bill Prybylski said the gains from an export sales reporting program are likely to be experienced throughout the entire grain supply chain.

“The data can be used to make better planning and resource allocation decisions, improving responsiveness and promoting productivity gains throughout the supply chain from producers, processors, exporters, grain transporters and grain handlers,” Prybylski said.

The groups are calling on the Canadian government to reverse the information disadvantage producers face through creation of an export sales reporting program, which would include data on large and cumulative sales to individual destinations for major grains. Such a program would also provide the foundation for Canada’s agriculture sector to respond effectively to rapidly changing global market conditions.

“As Canada looks to grow and diversify export markets it is important to focus on not only physical infrastructure, but also the information and data infrastructure for the agriculture sector to reach its full potential,” Leguee said.

SaskCrops consists of SaskBarley, SaskOats, SaskOilseeds, Saskatchewan Pulse Growers and Sask Wheat.