Durum acres to decline in 2017

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Published: February 3, 2017

,

Durum wheat. (Gipsa.usda.gov)

CNS Canada –– Canadian farmers are sitting on large stocks of poor-quality durum, which should cut into acres seeded to the crop this spring.

Durum stocks in the country, as of Dec. 31, 2016, came in at 6.9 million tonnes, marking a new record for that date, according to Statistics Canada data going back to 1980.

“It has no home; there’s no export market for it,” said Mike Jubinville of ProFarmer Canada on the country’s large disease-ridden durum stocks.

With no offshore demand for the feed-quality durum, he said, the large supplies will be metered out through domestic feed channels over a lengthy period.

Read Also

Barry Senft is stepping down as chief executive officer of Seeds Canada after four years. Photo: John Greig

Senft to step down as CEO of Seeds Canada

Barry Senft, the founding CEO of the five-year-old Seeds Canada organization is stepping down as of January 2026.

Canadian durum exports to date of 2.02 million tonnes compare with the 2.33 million exported during the same period in 2015-16, according to Canadian Grain Commission data.

“Farmers will be carrying a lot of durum into the new crop year, and most of it will be low quality,” said Jerry Klassen, manager of Canadian operations with GAP SA Grains and Products in Winnipeg.

Durum acres, he added, “are going to be down by about 30 per cent.”

A 30 per cent drop from the 6.19 million durum acres seeded in 2016 would see an acreage base of 4.33 million. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada currently forecasts a more modest decline, pegging 2017 durum area at 5.26 million acres.

— Phil Franz-Warkentin writes for Commodity News Service Canada, a Winnipeg company specializing in grain and commodity market reporting. Follow him at @philfw on Twitter.

About The Author

Phil Franz-Warkentin

Phil Franz-Warkentin

Editor - Daily News

Phil Franz-Warkentin grew up on an acreage in southern Manitoba and has reported on agriculture for over 20 years. Based in Winnipeg, his writing has appeared in publications across Canada and internationally. Phil is a trusted voice on the Prairie radio waves providing daily futures market updates. In his spare time, Phil enjoys playing music and making art.

explore

Stories from our other publications